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The Magazine For ALL Commodore Computer Users

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Publisher Louise Redgers
Editor: Nick Sullivan
Assistant Editor: Marya Miller
Production : Astrid Kumas
Cover : Don Ballanger
Typesetting: Noesis, Toronto, Ontario
Printing: Delta Web Graphics,
Scarborougti, Onterio

TPUG Magazine is published 10 tiiries a year by
Toronto Pet Users' Group (TPUG) fnc, the world's
largest Commodore users' group. TPUG is a non-
profit corporation dedicated to the service and sup-
port of owners and users of Commodore computers.
All riglits to material published in TPUG Magazine
are reserved by TPUG Inc., and no materia! may
be reprinted without written permission except
where specifically stated.

Correspondence: Send change of address and
subscription enquiries to: TPUG Inc., Address
Changes, 101 Duncan Mill Road, Suite G7, Toronto
ON, Canada M3B 1Z3. TPUG magazine welcomes
freelance contributions on all aspects of Com-
modore computing. Contributions should be sent
on disk, though accompanying hardcopy is
welcome. Be sure to include return postage if you
wish materials returned. Please indicate on the disk
label which Commodore disk format and word pro-
cessing program you have used. Remuneration for
articles published is $30.00 per page if the author
retains the copyright, and $40.00 per page if the
copyright is assigned to TPUG fVlagazine. All con-
tributions are subject to editing for length and
readability. Address editorial contributions to: The
Editor, TPUG fviagazine, 101 Duncan t^ill Road,
Suite G7. Toronto ON, Canada M3B 1Z3.

Circulation:
Subscription 16,000
ISSN #0825-0357

Newsstand 10,000

V!C 20, Commodore 64 and SuperPET are trade-
marks of Commodore Electronics Ltd. PET is a
registered trademark of Commdore Business
Machines, Inc. CBM is a registered trademark of
Commodore Electronics Ltd.

Subscriptions to TPUG Magazine may be obtained
by joining the Toronto PET Users' Group (TPUG) Inc.
Another benefit of TPUG membership is the right
to order inexpensive disks and tapes from the club's
extensive software library Yearly membership fees
are:

Regular member (attends meetings) $35.00 Cdn.
Student (full-time, attends meetings) $25.00 Cdn.

$25.00 Cdn.

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For further memtjership information please contact;

TPUG Inc., Membership Information
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TPUG Telephone Numbers;
Business Office {416)-445-4524
Magazine Office (416)-445-9865 .
Advertising (416)-445-4524

More on-line service

Other than mere computer information, the services of Compu-
Serve range from Science Fiction forums to the ability to make
travel arrangements and get weather reports for distant areas
on-line. The CB Forum is perhaps the closest thing to dropping
in at the local bar on Saturday night. Filled with friendly peo-
ple who want to chat and have a good time, the CB Forum is
truly a party. The Fun and Games area offers you the chance
to play with others or against the computer, every game from
blackjack to football. The Club area offers a variety of forums
for all, from photographers to gardeners.

How to get on-line

In order to get on-line, you will require a Personal Project
Number (an ID number) and a password. These can be found
in any CompuServe Information Package. The ID number and
password identify you on-line , and are usually accompanied by
a few free hours of time on the service. This means that you
have a manual and some time to experiment before you begin
to run up a charge on the system. When you sign on, the system
will ask you for credit card information so that it can bill you
for the time you spend on it. Time is charged by the minute,
at rates of $6.00/hour for 300 baud during off hours, (6:00 pm
to 8:00 am EST); and $16.00/hour during prime time. A sur-
charge applies to 1200 baud users of $4.00/hour. The system
currently does not operate at any other baud rates. The Compu-

10 TPUG Magsizine

CompuServe Chooses TPUG

by Louise Redgers

When corporate differences erupted between CompuServe
and Cionimodore Business Machines during recent contract
negotiations, CompuServe looked to TPUG to manage the
three existing (Commodore Forums, add to them and begin
a fourth, with our magazine on-line. There has been a lot of
excitement ai-ound the TPUG office as we prepared to take
on this new venture.

Managing a BBS is one thing: running forums on Compu-
Serve is quite another. Without knowing what to expect, and
a with a little training, we made our debut on August 30th.
We had not been able to preview the forums as sysops
beforehand, so we suffered through an educational period,
hopefully, not at the users' expense. With the help of a good,
many friends of the club and a few old Commodore sysops,
we managed to get tlirough those first few weeks. Now,
almost a month later, things are settling down — but not
without our having to learn to deal with the unexpected and
the unexplained.

Running forums on CompuServe is rather like being the
editor of a large daily newspaper. The constant barrage of
niessages makes it difficult to stay on top of the news. Egos
have to be considered, and there are literally hundreds of
them. One is constantly aware of the threat of editing a little
too heavily , thereby robbing the user of his freedom to ex-
press himself; yet one has to be aware that what does not
offend one user may easily offend ajiother. The task of jug-
gling these responsibilities has been taken on by a number
of courageous souls whom I hope you will get to know bet-
ter on-line as time goes by.

Our sysop team

Gord Campbell: Gord looks after answering the constant flow
of programming questions on the Programming Porum, Gord
is the editor of several Canadian computer publications, in-
cluding InfoAge Magazine, Comptding Canada and Computer
Dealer News. A long-time user of Commodore equipment,
Ckird owns a SuperPET, a VIC 20 and a C-64. He also ex-
pects to acquire an .4miga in the very near future. As a pro-
grammer who also works in the publishing field, he has a way
of conveying the tricks of Commodore programming to
others.

Gary Faimianer: Gary is one of the authors of the terminal
software known as ProTemi 64. He is a veteran BBS user
with a good knowledge of machine language programming.
Currently a university student, Gary has decided to spend
his spare time on-line, aiding the users. His current stalking
ground on CompuServe includes the Music and Graphics
Forum.

Darrell Grainger: Darrell is a constant BBS user, and he
has taken his own system down in order to spend time on
CompuServe. Darrell is our upload/download expert. As the

one with the most spare time and the 1200 baud modem, he
kindly volunteered for this tough job.

Tim Grantham: a familiar name to the readers of TPUG
Magazine. Tim is our music expert, A creative Commodore
64 enthusiast, Tim is helping others to get more out of their
SID chips. Tim is an actor, playwright, musician.and expect-
ant father. \

Betty Knight: Betty has been a sysop on CompuServe since
the early days of Commodore's presence on that system. She
retired her keyboard about a year ago, but agreed to bring
it out of mothballs for TPUG. With her thorough knowledge
of CompuServe, her programmer's training and everlasting
patience, she has helped us stay afloat when we felt we were
drowning in an overwhelming sea. Betty spends time on all
of the forums attempting to answer the users' questions on
a wide variety of subjects.

Roy Reddy; Roy, a former CompuServe sysop, is a recent

addition to the team. Roy, who works at Desktop Computers
in Richmond Hill, Ontario, knows a fair bit about ail Com-
modore computers, but his current interest is the Amiga. He
is a sports enthusiast who is currently rooting for the Blue
Jays to win the World Series.

Carol Shevlin: Carol currently resides in the Education and

Entertainment Forum; or rather, where the adventure games
are. Carol, who owns a SuperPET atid occasionally uses a
C-64, is a self-coiifessed adventuress. Programming in several
languages and cleaning cat hairs off her computer are Carol's
favourite pastimes — when she is not working as a Certified
General Account.ant for a local insurance company.

Louise Redgers: lastly, 1 reside on the system writing those
endless bulletins, answering those official questions and try-
ing to socialize with the users, while patiently awaiting the
arrival of my Amiga and trying to wear out my C-64, so I
have an excuse to purchase yet another computer.

CompuServe chose TPUG because we could offer the
talent, enthusiasm and variety of machines and users to the
sysop team. We have a ready-made public domain library to
share with the users (though sheer volume means that this
will only be done a tittle bit at a time, and much of the material
may never make it, due to space limitations and the limited-
interest scope of some programs). CompuServe allows us the
opportunity to let the club grow even further, share the
knowledge that is one of the main reasons for our existence,
and hopefully enlarge our library through the donations of
software made through the system. It is nice to know that
someone 3,000 miles away can leave me mail for next day
delivery and reply. What a way for TPUG to reach its
members, while showing those who are not members what
we can do for them!

See you on-line! D

October 1985 11

Serve Information packages are available from your local com-
puter stores: Computerland, Waldenbooks, Sears and Target
Stores, to name just a few.

What is Conferencing?

When two or more people wish to talk to each other on the ser-
vice, they are having a conference. This is the kind of activity
we encourage every night of the week. It means that you don't
have to leave messages to get answers and to make new friends,
but rather you can look and see if anyone is on-line and ready
to chat. To check this out, type users at any menu, and it will
tell you who is on-line, and where they are in the system. 'Ac-
cess' means that they are uploading or downloading, 'SIC means
that they are reading or leaving messages or bulletins, and 'CO'
shows a channel number where people are in conference. Upon
entering a forum, the system tells you how many members are
in conference. Typing in CO at the menu will take you into this
electronic conversation station on channel 30. Special events in
our forums are held on Channel 1. Read the conference bulletins
to learn of upcoming special guest speakers and topics of in-
terest. We are currently attempting to schedule events such as
Liz Deal on the B-128, Len Lindsay on COMAL, and a visit by
,Iim Butterfield. Bulletins will be posted well in advance, to give
all users a chance to attend.

What about the TPUG BBS?

The TPUG BBS will continue to operate as usual. It has limited
access because of long distance charges and the fact that, cur-
rently, there is only one phone line into the system. We en-
courage members to continue to use it, to find out about local
events; and as an inexpensive source of help and contact with
other users. Q

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Commodore support with a twist , . . Personable and even humorous . . . Timely news . . . Helpful tutorials . . . On-going sup-
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• Introduce your "widow" to the Computer Widow's Compendium.
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Sound Advice

by Jim Butterfleld

Copyright *> 1985 Jim Butterfield. Permis-
sion to reprint is hereby granted, pro-
vided this notice is included in the
reprinted material.

Turn on your brand new Commodore 128
and type the following command:

play "u9y It6hey£t4guldy2
■fuy lcy£qeghemu0"

The computer will cheerMly play the first
two bars of Three Blind Mice, in harmony
and with a variety of instruments.

This kind of thing has never before
been built into a Commodore computer.
Sure, they play music, but only with the
help of POKEs that you need to carefully
look up. Although the line above may look

like gibberish, it's much closer to writing
'real' music and calls for much less
mechanistic work by the programmer.
To translate the above string: U9
means 'set the volume to level 9'. Vl says,
'the next bit is for voice I'.TS means 'set

... I sometimes worry

when a computer does

so much for you that

you lose touch with

how it all works. . .

instrument 6' — a harpsichord. H means
that the notes that will follow are 'half
notes', moderately slow. E means 'play
E', the first note of the tune.
V2 means 'svritch to voice 2', and Ti

sets the instrument type to 4, similar to
a flute. We play a G, which is the har-
mony that goes with the first note.

Vl switches control back to voice 1 . We
play D for the second note, then V2
switches to voice 2 and plays F. Wsets
the timing to 'whole notes', which are
quite slow. At this speed we play the final
Vl (voice 1) note of C. Switching to voice
2, we select the moderately fast quarter
note with Q, to play E and then G; and
go back to a half note with H to play the
final E. Command M says; "Now wait
until it's ail finished", and Vo sets the
volume down to zero.

Isn't it nice to have a computer do ail
this for you, rather than the elaborate
POKEs you had to remember on the Com-
modore 64?

Synth Sample: Some Som*ces

by Jim Butterfield, Toronto

Copyright ® 19S5 Jim Butterfield. Per-
mission to reprint this material is
hereby granted^ provided this notice is
included in the reprinted material.

Synth Sample, the music program for
the Commodore 64, has been
something of a mystery. It was placed
in the public domain, but the author
wouldn't identify himself: many
months elapsed before we discovered
that George Feil did it. It was written
as a demonstrator for a music editor
program, but as far as I know, that pro-
gram is not yet commercially available.

It's a robustly -written program.
Once the music starts, you may stop
the program; the music keeps playing.
You may LIST or perform calculations;
the music keeps playing, SAVE and
LOAD slows it down a bit, but the
music usually doesn't stop.

Here's another good trick. The pro-
gram loads in one shot; no bootstrap,
no data files. That means that BASIC
is followed by the music data and by the
playing program. When a program is
written in this manner, with BASIC
followed by other material, it's easy to

LOAD and SAVE. Usually, however,
this means that you have two major
limitations. First, BASIC must occupy
a fixed position: such programs
generally won't work if you moved the
start of BASIC to make room for a
graphics screen, for example. Second-
ly, you must not change the BASIC
program, since such a change would
move the following material up or
down; few machine language programs
or data tables can survive such a move.
Surprisingly, Synth Sample will allow
loading to unusual places, and will sur-
vive changes to BASIC quite nicely.
That takes planning.

I've gotten letters asking where the
sheet music for some of the selections
can be found; what OMITD {selection
9) stands for; and (from Europe) what
is meant by 'Stationary Ark'. I wasn't
able to answer them at the time, but
I've subsequently discovered that Mike
Martinez has been doing research on
the songs and has learned a good deal.
As a result, Mike has made it possible
to provide the following information.

1. Stationary Ark: Theme from PBS
nature show of the same name.

2. Saturdays in Silezia: Song by
Rational Youth.

3. Spiral: Main theme from album of
the same name, by Vangelis.

4. TviMar Bells: Song by Mike Oldfield
from album of the same name. Also
found on The Exorcist sound track.

5. Magic Shadows: Theme by Harry
Forbes from TV Ontario's movie show
of the same name.

6. Theme from Clockwork Orange:
Prelude for Flatte Trumpets from
Henry Purceli's opera The Libertine,
adapted for the movie by Wendy
Carlos.

7. Oxygenell: One of six major themes
fi"om the album Oxygenehy Jean Michel
Jarre, on the Polydor/Dryfus label.

8. Canon in D minor: Fugue by
Pachelbel. May be found in many
classical collections. Used as the theme
for the movie Ordinary People.

9. Enola Gay: Song by Orchestral
Manoeuvres In The Dark.

A final note on sheet music: Mike tells
me that the arrangments are adapted
from the recordings. No sheet music
sources were used. D

14 TPUG Magazine

Yes and no.

I sometimes worry when a computer
does so much for you that you lose touch
with how it ail works. I don't worry a lot;
but I do wonder if new programmers
might not understand what the machine
is up to.

Here's where a problem may show up;
a programmer may want to try a special
effect, and can't do it because he or she
has lost touch with the working mech-
anisms. Things like 'glissando' (sliding
6t>m one note to another) can't be achiev-
ed with PLAY, and the user will need to
look more deeply; or, you might want to
do some sound work in machine
language, but without BASIC to help you,
you don't know how to make even the
simplest beep.

When the 4.0 PET/CBM machines
came out, they had useful commands and
functions such as OOP EN, SCRATCH,
RECORD and DS$. It made things so
easy for the BASIC prorammer. But
when I started teaching machine
language to the new 4.0 owners, I
discovered that they had no idea how such
things as SCRATCH really worked. I had
to go back and teach fundamentals.

Does it really matter? Maybe not. Per-
sonally, I feel much more secure when
I'm more directly in touch with the
machine and its workings. But the
advanced commands save time and
effort, and I wouldn't think of forbidding
their use.

I often advise users to program in
'generic code'. You may want your pro-
grams to be transportable from one
machine to another. This is especially true
in a school or club environment, where
programs should ideally be able to
migrate from one model of machine to
another — where possible, of course.

But if the advanced features do just
what you want, go for them. The new
Commodore 128 BASIC is so rich that I
wonder if most users will ever learn it all .
It seems to me more likely that each user
will concentrate on the set of commands
that match his or her programming in-
terest areas. Some will use the business
features, especially PRINT USING. Many
will use the new structuring features: DO,
WHILE or LOOP, UNTIL, Some will go
for the error traps, some for the number
conversion features. A lot of users will
latch on to the great new graphics com-
mands, which will make graphics so much
easier than on the Commodore 64.

And some users — more than ever
before — by using the new commands
ENVELOPE, FILTER, SOUND, TEMPO,
VOL and, of course, PLAY, will make
beautiful music on their computers. D

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October 19B5 15

After the Online Search

by Don Fox

In my article published in TPUG
Magazine (March 1985), I suggested that
I would follow up with details of how to
obtain documents listed in online data-
bases. Before I do so, however, some
clarification of concepts is necessary.

database types

In general, there are two kinds of data-
base. The normal terminology for these
is 'reference' and 'source' database. A
reference database is a coherent collec-
tion of data that refers the searcher to
another source for full information. For
example, a library catalogue gives infor-
mation about books, periodicals, govern-
ment publications, et cetera, which the
library includes in its collection. Based on
this information, one can obtain the docu-
ment itself to read; there are relatively
few applications where only the catdogue
record is required. Similarly, the data-
bases that give only bibliographic records
in most cases only give the searcher the
first step in the information retrievaJ pro-
cess; he or she must still obtain the docu-
ment described.

Source databases, on the other hand,
attempt to give full information im-
mediately. For example, DIALOG'S
ASAP Magazine Index contains the full
text of articles taken from a number of
popular magazines. Naturally, the
storage space required per item is
greater, as is the cost of printing or
downloading each item, given that this
cost depends on connect time, but it does
save time and trouble.

There are many other source databsises
available: indeed, largely because of
recent decreases in storage costs, these
databases are increasing in number and
size more rapidly than the older tech-
nology that reference databases repre-
sent. An area of especially significant
high grovrth is that of financial databases,
such as Dow Jones.

Indirect vs direct

It is apparent that, except for the cost,
there is no particular problem in obtain-
ing information from source databases.
Unfortunately, much information is
available through reference databases
only, so it is necessary to learn how to
access the documents described by them.

Once again, there are two cases; obtain-
ing the desired document through your
local library, and ordering them online.

The first step in the former case is to
take your printout to the local library, to
see if it is held in the collection. If not,
do not give up; the librarian can use your
printout to obtain the desired document
through interlibrary loan. The printout is
needed to prevent transcription errors.

The more traditional route of in-
terlibrary loan has one big advantage —
it is cheap, relative to the cost of online
ordering. A public librarian who is involv-
ed in interlibrary loans in Hamilton, On-
tario, recently told me that the typical
cost of a non-returnable document (a
photocopy of a journal article, for exam-
ple) ranges between three and five
dollars. Normally, there is no charge for
a loaned item, unless a charge is made by
the library that has made the loan. Many
university libraries now charge in the
vicinity of ten dollars for loans, since
university funding is no longer what it us-
ed to be. Most public libraries try to avoid
these costs, preferring to borrow from
another public library, where possible.
When it is not, the library vriU keep within
any limit assigned by the borrower.

Typical prices for online ordering range
from five to ten dollars (US) per item,
with higher prices for 'rush' service or
longer articles (more photocopying).
Loans are not usually possible unless the
document supplier happens to be a
library, and most aren't. These charges
are additional to the cost of online time.
Many document suppliers also produce
online databases, but not all database sup-
pliers provide this service. The
Microcomputer Index, for example, does
not provide it, but the manual suggests
that documents listed may be obtained
from "many other DIALORDER sup-
pliers". DIALORDER is the trade-
marked name for the online ordering ser-
vice provided by Dialog.

If you decide to bite the bullet and order
online on DIALOG, you again have two
choices. If the item you want has been
retrieved online from a reference data-
base, you enter a KEEP n command,
where n is the set or accession number
of the set or item required. This is follow-
ed by the ORDER xxxx command, where
xxxx is the alpha code of the supplier, as
listed by DIALOG, The other alternative,

in which you have retrieved the reference
somewhere else, requires the use of the
ORDERITEM string command, which re-
quires you to specify both item and sup-
plier (you can use up to two hundred
characters). An example is:

ORDERITEM CRNDOCS 'Searc
hing Online Data Bas-es
', TPUG Magazine, Marc
h 1985, p.ae.

CANDOCS, by the way, is a Canadian
document supplier (hence the name) call-
ed Micromedia Limited, in Toronto. For
the price of 25 cents per page, 7 dollars
minimum per article, they will send you
a journal article such as the above. 'The
good news is that these prices are in
Canadian funds (US dollar equivalents ac-
ceptable). The bad news is that you must
have a 100 dollar minimum deposit ac-
count with them, or be charged a 15
dollar minimum per order. In addition,
you pay a surcharge of 50 per cent for
48-hour delivery. This service is available
to any purchasers, not just Canadians,
and represents a quick way of obtaining
much material, such as Canadian govern-
ment publications or corporate reports of
Canadian businesses, which are slow and
difficult to obtain otherwise.

As might be expected, the best
bargains from US suppliers tend to be
from agencies of the US federal govern-
ment. For example, the GPO (Govern-
ment Printing Office) will send you
government publications for the list price,
plus one dollar per item, plus the cost of
airmail postage, if requested, as well as
a 5 dollar invoicing charge, if invoicing
is asked for by the customer (all prices in
US dollars, of course). Rush service costs
an extra 4 dollars more per item, which
means your request is processed within
three working days, and all rush orders
are sent airmail. List prices of US govern-
ment documents, like those of the Cana-
dian variety, tend to be very reasonable.

New Developments

For libraries that are in the business of
interlibrary loans in a big way, the world
is not standing still. Suppliers such as the
National Library of Canada or the Cana-
dian Institute for Scientific and Technical
Information are providing electronic mail
as a speedy way of requesting documents,
using the Envoy 100 system of Telecom

16 TPUG Magazine

Canada, This service provides special
'scripts' to prompt the user for essentia]
information, depending on the type of
material being requested.

One large US system not available in
Canada uses microcomputer work sta-
tions and special screens to expedite the
process even more. Unlike the scripts,
which assume one terminal transmitting
on line at a time, the screen allows the
user to input an entire record and check
it visually before sending it. This techni-
que is designed to reduce errors still fur-
ther. It is very probable that such
developments will soon appear in Canada,
and also will be made available to the oc-
casional user, as well.

Corrections

I made two statements in the March ar-
ticle that need to be modified. I suggested
that a modem providing auto-dial was a
good idea for accessing electronic bulletin
boards. What I meant, of course, was
auto-redial. Not all modems providing the
former feature also provide the latter,
and it definitely reduces wear and tear
on the dialling finger. The other change
— I no longer reside at the address given
in that article. Please send any further
questions and comments to me care of
TPUG Magazine. D

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Telecom Canada

by Ian A. Wright

As part of a recent TPUG Communications meeting, Joe McHugh from Bell
Canada gave a vei7 interesting presentation on a number of products available
from Telecom Canada. Starting from what a modem is and does, Joe quickly
moved into an explanation of INet 2000, Envoy 100 and Datapac — services of-
fered by the various telephone companies across Canada.

iNET2000

iNet 2000 is designed to direct information searches in English or French through
your terminal, using simple directories. Rather than logging on to a succession
of: data systems, you can access a series of online databases from iNet 2000 by
looking through a National directory, in order to find those databases or infor-
mation services containing materia! on your topic. To simplify the search pro-
cedure, you can build sub-directories. The Organization directorj' allows you to
select services from the National directory and tailor this to your company's
specific requirements. Tlie Personal directory keeps on file your selection of most
frequently accessed database ser\ices — much like a telephone book.

The cost of iNet 2000 varies, depending on how much you use the service. One
example of iNet 2000 use would be to access a travel information database to
find out if there are rooms available in Miami, and then select the cheapest flight.

Datapac

Datapac is a nationwide switching network with some 14,000 connections from
coast to coast, extending to thirty-five countries world-wide. However, Com-
modore users cannot access all parts of the Datapac system because of special
equipment and protocol requirements. Datapac 3304, for instance, supports the
IBM BSC multileaving communications protocol at 2400, 4800 and 9600 bps,
and if that makes any sense to you, then 'Punter CI' is baby-talk!

The Datapac we use is an ASCII-based, 300 bps dial-up system, for accessing
online databases in other parts of the country without paying long distance
charges. For example, The Source database is located in West Virginia, so a
regular phone call would mean payment of the long distance charges for your
access time. Datapac allows you to call a local number (868-4000) to logon to
The Source through the Toronto 'node' of this shared intelligent network. As
a user, you pay nothing for this service — the bills are sent from Datapac to
the system accessed, so that, in our example, the cost would be included in the
bill from The Source. The charges vary, depending on which database is used,
the time, the baud rate, the amount of data, or a combination of these factors.

Envoy 100

Both Datapac and iNet 2000 can provide access to a third system called Envoy
100, which is an electronic mail service. E-mail allows you to write, edit, send,
receive and store mess^es across Canada via local telephones. Now you can
get or send messages from head office to Hearst, Ontario, t\venty-four hours
a day in English or French — and the recipient can take them at his or her con-
venience. If your recipient does not have a terminal, you can use Envoy Post,
which lets you send aTnessage of up to four pages to Vancouver, and have the
postman deliver it on the same or the next business day.

The charges? Again, they 're variable, bsised on a low monthly fee of five dollars
plus the nurhber of kilocharacters (1000 characters, including spaces) that have
been used. For example, a 150-word message sent to one user would cost sixty-
five cents; and the same message sent to two users — one dollar. Sent via Envoy
Post, this same message would cost an additional $1,10 for next-day arrival.

For more information on iNet 2000, Datapac or Envoy 100, call 1-800-267-7400.

□

October 19B5 17

Wireless Computing

by A. Vic Forde

While scanning the January issue of
TPUG Magazine and reading the list of
'hams', it occurred to me that perhaps
many TPUG members might be wonder-
ing what that list of names, with its
funny-looking combination of letters and
numbers after each one, has to do with
computers.

The word 'ham" denotes a person who
is an amateur radio operator. A ham i.s
skilled in both the science of radio
technology and the art of using it for com-
munications. There are two versions of
how these amateur radio operators
became known as 'hams'. One version at-
tributes the name to an eccentricity of the
London accent: "H'amateur radio
operators" — later contracted to 'hams'.
However, it is more likely that it is an
acronym of the names of three amateur
radio operators at Harvard University
who built and operated a very good little
amateur radio station that became well
known. They used this acronym — 'HAM'
— as a call sign. Pretty soon, the name
became associated with all radio stations
operated by so-called amateurs.

Nowadays, amateur radio operators
must pass examinations set by the
Department of Communications, in order
to be licensed and to receive a station call
sign. The examination requires them to
transmit and receive Morse Code at a
specified number of words per minute,
and to pass a written examination on
radio theory. It usually takes someone of
average technical skills and education
from six months to one year of study
before they are ready to take the ex-
amination. An advanced licence can be
obtained after a period of further study.
The ham radio operator not only has a
wide range of frequencies at which he can
transmit, but also a variety of modes of
transmission available to him. The most
common mode used by amateurs is voice
transmission. However, many other
popular modes, such as Morse Code (CW),
Teletype (RTTY), Packet Radio (high
speed digital transmission), Television ■■
(ATV) and Slow Scan Television (SST),
are also used.

In the early days of the development of
radio, there were a number of people who

began by experimenting with the
transmission of very simple radio signals.
At this time, the transmission of a radio
signal was not controlled by govern-
ments, and anyone who had the ability to
build a transmitter could freely use one,
without restriction. The 'amateurs' who
built and operated such a station were
very proud of their achievements, and
there was much friendly competition
among them. The operators liked to
advertise their stations on the air to other
listeners, so they gave their stations
names — the early versions of 'call signs'.
Very .soon, a substantial number of peo-
ple around the world were operating
radio transmitters.

However, in an attempt to establish ef-
ficient use of the airways and known
radio frequencies, governments began to
regulate and severely restrict the use of
this method of communication. One of the
consequences of sweeping government
control was a regulation stating that each
amateur station now had to have a sta-
tion licence in order to operate. Further-
more, a specific 'call sign' was issued to
each station; they could no longer choose
and use their own pet name.

Call signs have changed considerably
over the years in each country and, at the
present time, in Canada, the amateur
radio call sign consists of a prefix and a
suffix. The prefix indicates the province
in which the station is located, and the
suffix indicates the particular radio sta-
tion. For example, Canada has assigned
the letters 'VE* to general Canadian sta-
tions, with a specific number for each
province. The provinces are numbered
from east to west. The mari times are

gi'ouped as one province, so the prefix
assigned to them is 'VE 1', Quebec is 'VE
2'. Ontario is 'VE 3', and so on, across
Canada.

My call sigTi is VE 3 HPD. The suffix
HPD is specifically assigned to my sta-
tion, and the VE 3 denotes that the sta-
tion is in Ontiirio. Ham stations in other
parts of the world also have unique
prefixes for each country.

Ham radio has been able to survive for
the past 60 to 80 years because of the
tremendous contributions it has made to
radio science, and the immeasurable
public service it has rendered to countries
in times of national disasters. In recent
years, it has reached another threshold
in its long history. Hams began ex-
perimenting with the marriage of the
computer to their radio stations, even
before the personal computer became
available in the market place. They built
and perfected interface circuits allowing
them to transmit digital signals on the
radio frequency spectrum. (This is very
similar to the modem used by computers
to 'talk' to one another on the telephone
lines.) These interface units are now com-
mercially available, and operate in a man-
ner similar to the telephone modem. In-
stead of the signal travelling along a wire,
it is converted in the radio transmitter to
a radio frequency, then sent to the
antenna.

Amateur radio operators can transmit
information to other radio stations
anywhere in the world. Furthermore,
they don't have an expensive long-
distance telephone charge to pay each
month.

Amateur radio operators have bulletin
board systems similar to the ones familiar
to us. They can leave messages for other
hams in foreign lands and send messages
to and from families of missionaries ser-
ving in other countries. In times of na-
tional disaster, such as a flood or an ear-
thquake, they can be a vital link in
transmitting health and welfare
messages to concerned relatives, as well
as a major assistance to the Red Cross
and public officials. The things that can
be done with amateur radio and a per-
sonal computer are only limited by one's
imagination.

Although the common mode of
transmission in ham radio is voice, there
are two other popular modes used: Morse

18 TPUG Magazine

Code, ('CW, in radio terminology); and
teletype - ('RTTY'), RTTY is an in-
teresting mode of communication,
because it enables amateurs to transmit
written text at very fast speeds. In
general, telephone transmissions are
usually restricted to a maximum of about
300 to 500 baud without the use of special
circuits, whereas no such limitations ex-
ists when transmitting by radio.

Even though you may not be a ham
radio operator, you can still enjoy the
thrill of copying teletype if you own or
can acquire a reasonably good general-
coverage receiver for a few hundred
dollars. In addition, you will need to pur-
chase an interface (modem) that will con-
nect your radio to the computer. (This is
not the same modem you would use to
connect a computer to a telephone line.)

With these simple additions to your
computer, you will be able to copy on your
screen (or to your printer) the major news
services located around the world, such
as:

1) TASS News Service

2) Associated Press

3) Voice of America

4) Reuters

5) The National Weather Service (USA)

6) The Miami Hurricane Centre

7) METOC - Environment Canada
weather

8) ADN — German Democratic Republic
News

It is particularly thrilling to copy the news
from a news service in the unedited ver-
sion, containing much greater detail
about the various news events. Even

. . .The things that can

be done with amateur

radio and a personal

computer are only

limited by one's

imagination. . .

more thrilling — you receive this news
'hot off the press', even before it is broad-
cast over your local TV or radio station.
While there are certainly distinct ad-
vantages to being both a computer
operator and a ham, the computer
operator can share in some of the thrills
of copying these various news agencies
without becoming a ham. If you decide to
add this highly enjoyable aspect to your
computer, there are a few things of which

to be aware. First, the general coverage
receiver that you use must have good fre-
quency discrimination: that is, it must be
able to separate the stations, one from
the other. Secondly , you will have to have
an outdoor antenna (usually consisting of
a long wire in excess of 100 feet). Final-
ly, an interface specially designed for
radio communications is required. These
interfaces are readily available, and are
advertised in amateur radio magazines
such as QST, 73 Magazine, or CQ
Magazine. An interface for receiving on-
ly is all that is needed, and these are con-
siderably cheaper than the transmit-and-
receive type used by true hams. The price
will probably be in the range of 100 to 150
dollars.

With this new-found use for your com-
puter, you can also 'listen in' to ham
operators 'talking' to one another in
teletype or Morse Code, copying to your
screen or printer. You can also copy in-
formation and programs from bulletin
boards in foreign countries, as a passive
listener'. Through your electronic 'win-
dow', you will truly feel as though you are
part of world events as they unfold. D

Next month: How to connect your Com-
modore 64 to a general-coverage receiver.

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October 1985 19

Mapping the Protocol Jungle

by Phil Kemp

Users of bulletin boards and other dial-
up services allowing uploading and
downloading become aware — often pain-
fully — that the terminal program they
use must understand a particular file
transfer protocol. There are many online
services — and many incompatible
protocols.

The purpose of these protocols is to en-
sure that, despite imperfect phone lines,
the file is received exactly as sent. To
achieve this, we send data characters in
groups ('blocks' or 'packets'), with some
extra check bytes. We then await a rep-
ly, and send the next (or resend the last)

block, depending on the reply.

These protocols differ mainly in the
length of the transmitted blocks, the way
the check bytes are calculated, use of
special 'control characters', and how
characters are handled that do not have
standard ASCII code representations.

The best choice varies according to cir-
cumstance. With a high-quality phone
line, highest file transfer speed comes
with very long blocks, minimizing inter-
block pauses. Since errors are few, sim-
ple checkbyte calculations suffice. If,
however, we have a noisy line, then we
expect many errors. More powerful
checkbyte calculations are called for.
Since a single error requires that an en-

tire block be resent, short blocks are bet-
ter in noisy conditions to minimize the
total amount of data transmitted. Sen-
ding data to a friend, we have free choice
of protocol; mainframe services offer only
limited options.

The most familiar protocol for many of
us was devised by Steve Punter, and us-
ed on PET and Commodore 64-based
bulletin boards. This 'old Punter' protocol
has served the Commodore community
very well; there are now better alter-
natives. For most transfers, two print-
able characters are transmitted, for each
byte of the file, so transfers are slow.
Precise timing of events is critical.
Perhaps for this reason, of the many

FUe Transfers with KERMIT

by Phil Kemp

Over the last year, there have been
many developments affecting Com-
modore users. In the field of com-
munications, we've seen the price of
modems fall; auto-dial/auto-answer
modems are no longer rare. Terminal
programs, both commercial and public-
domain, offer more function and more
reUability. For file transfers, I view two
changes as most significant: the intro-
duction of 'new Punter' protocol, and
a sharp rise in the use of KERMIT.

For file transfers strictly within the
Commodore community, the 'new
Punter' protocol now provides the
fastest and most reliable vehicle. It is
used on many BBSs, and is very effec-
tive for direct 64-to-64 transfers.
However, for file transfers to and from
mainframes, and other machines out-
side the world of Commodore, KER-
MIT's star is rising. KERMIT is a
'universal' file transfer protocol,
developed at Columbia University,
New York. It is in the public domain;
the university distributes programs
and documentation essentially at cost.
Many gifted people have contributed
programs and ideas; the university con-
tinues to act as a clearing-house for
developments. There are KERMIT
programs in use today on IBM and

other mainframes, and on a wide var-
iety of nriicrocomputers. There are at
least three programs for the Com-
modore 64.

Like XMODEM and the Punter pro-
tocols, KERMIT is a member of the
'st«]j-and-wait ARQ block transfer'
protocol family ('ARQ' stands for
"automatic request to resend'). File
transfer is accomplished by sending
blocks of data (referred to as 'packets')
back and forth; the sender sends file
names, file contents and control infor-
mation. The receiver acknowledges
(positively or negatively) the arrival of
each packet, after verifying the con-
tent, using check characters contained
in the packet.

KERMIT was designed to be simple,
reliable, and usable with diverse hard-
ware. Efficiency was a lesser con-
sideration; even so, communicating at
300 bps, KERMIT runs at 50 to 80 per
cent efficiency. That is, data is
transferred at a respectable rate of
some 15 to 24 characters per second.

Documentation from Columbia has
evolved through many editions, and is
comprehensive and readable. -'VIso,
good technical descriptions have ap-
peared in BYTE magazine (June/July
84), and the PC TECH Journal
(January 85).

KERMIT continues to evolve. As

well as the original simple one-byte
block checksum, there are now
stronger two- and three-byte check op-
tions. Each transfer begins with ex-
change of 'initialization' packets. If
both sending and receiving programs
agree at this point, then variations of
the basic protocol may be used. This
allows new programs to be used, to ex-
ploit extensions to the original base
protocol, while ensuring that older pro-
grams will continue to work.

In futiu'e, we should expect wide use
of fa.ster (1200 and 2400 bps) modems.
Many of today's popular protocols will
not fully exploit the higher speeds,
since the time to send a block becomes
short while the pauses between blocks
remain the same length. In the case of
KERMIT, there are many knowledge-
able users, and the protocol provides
for extensions to the rules, so I expect
evolution te take advantage of hard-
ware changes.

KERMIT provides a valuable option
for communication with the non-
Commodore world. It's one of the very
few file transfer protocols that has any
hope of gaining widespread acceptance
across multiple computer types.
Philosophically, there are parallels
between KERMIT development, and •
the cooperative activity of clubs like
TPUG. D

20 TPUG Magazine

public domain programs supporting this
protocol, I've yet to see one purely in
BASIC. Some commercial terminal pro-
grams (VIP-Term, for example) support
the protocol, but there are persistent
reports of total or partial failures of
transfers.

Steve's 'new Punter' protocol is used
on a growing number of Commodore
BBSs, and it has significant advantages.
Block length is variable, to a maximum
of 255 bytes; short blocks can be used to
cope with poor phone lines. Blocks con-
tain 4 check bytes (to a unique formula),
a block length indicator and a block se-
quence number, followed by data bytes.
This now provides the fastest 64-to-64
transfer speeds of any protocol in com-
mon use — and is likely the most depend-
able. Good public domain programs are
available, able to transfer both to and
from a BBS and other C-64s.

Outside the Commodore world, the
best-known protocol is XMODEM. It's
used on many bulletin boards using the
CP/M operating system, and on some
mainframe services. Transmitted blocks
contain 128 data characters, preceded by
a 'Start of Header' byte (ASCII code 1)
and a block sequence number, and usual-
ly trailed by a single block check char-
acter. As with 'old Punter', this is a
simple checksum of the data byte values.
Some commercial terminal programs sup-
port XMODEM. The protocol is 'forgiv-
ing' in timing of events; there are public
domain programs entirely in BASIC.
There is no provision for handling non-
printable characters.

From Columbia University, New York,
comes KERMIT {see opposite). Designed
primarily for use with diverse computer
types, KERMIT is (for practical purposes)
public domain, and increasingly widely
used.

Many other protocols are used in
special eases. For example, Compu-
Serve's 'proprietary B protocol'; just buy
their program (VIDTEX), and all will
(magically) work (unless your access is via
Datapac, anyway). Many vendors supply
IBM micro-to-mainframe protocols;
usually there are no programs available
for non-IBM machines, and no document-
ation to write one.

The computing industry is fast-
changing. File transfer is an area par-
ticularly short of accepted standards. To
make the most of this mess, we need an
awareness of the variety of protocols in
use, and the major distinctions. Then we
can select an appropriate protocol (and,
therefore, terminal program) for our
needs, □

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October 1965 21

The CI Protocol

Ifyovi. have ever uploaded or donmhaded
programs on a Commodore BBS, the
chances are good that you have made use
of one of Steve Punter's file transfer pro-
tocols, familiarly called Old and New
Punter Protocol In this article, the first
of two parts, Steve explains in detail the
theory and construction of his 'New' pro-
tocol, officially termed 'Cl '.

inception

During the summer of 1981, when I first
got the idea of putting up a BBS, 1 started
work on a simple protocol for trans-
ferring programs to and from the BBS.
This protocol was similar in structure to
XMODEM, and had about the same reli-
ability. Under good line conditions, it
would give error-free transfers {this was
to be expected). Under moderate noise
conditions, the protocol would hold up,
and would still give error- free transmis-
sions. It was under poor line conditions
that it (as well as XMODEM) would fall
apart.

In the summer of 1984, 1 started work
on a very ambitious project: to produce
a protocol that was both fast, and ex-
tremely reliable, even under the worst of
line conditions. From this work came the
'Cr protocol; not a simple block/check-
sum affair, but a complete communication
system for the computer.

Be warned, therefore, that under-
standing the ins and outs of 'Cl' will not
be eEisy, but with enough patience, there's
no reason why even the least-skilled pro-
grammer cannot be comfortable with it.

Concepts

The concept tehind the 'Cl' protocol was
simple: to allov\f two computers to 'talk'
with one another (while transferring
data) in such a way that nothing short of
a complete distortion of the transmission
line could result in a misunderstanding.
If this concept could be realized, then files
could be transferred between computers
without fear of line noise causing a
breakdown in the protocol; or of the
received data differing in any way from
that which was sent.

Nothing is perfect, though, and I don't
for a minute claim that 'Cl' is complete-
ly infallible, but I can say, with reasonable

comfort, that 'Cl' can deliver bad-line ac-
curacy not found in any other microcom-
puter transfer protocols. For this ac-
curacy, though, there is a price to pay,
and it is complexity: the protocol is ex-
tremely difficult to duplicate without a
complete understanding of its workings.

A Simple Conversation

In first deciding how the protocol would
function, I thought of how two people
could carry on a conversation under high
noise conditions, where misunderstan-
ding would be the norm. The scenario I'm
going to give differs from the protocol in
that the people talking have no way of
verifying the accuracy of what they
believe they have heard. It is meant to
demonstrate how the two computers
'talk' with one another, discussing the
necessary repetition, or non-repetition, of
each block of data (the cornerstone of a
checksum-based transfer protocol).

Ken and John are attempting to assem-
ble a machine in the middle of a very
noisy machine shop. Ken reads the in-
structions to John, who carries them out.
Even at close proximity, the two have dif-
ficulty hearing one another, so they adopt
a form of banter that allows each instruc-
tion to be verified and acknowledged.
Here is how the conversation might go:

John: "Put part 'A' in hole 'D'."

Ken: "Understood, putting part 'A' in
hole 'D'."

John: "Acknowledged, let me know when
you are ready for the next instruction."

Ken: "Go ahead, what do I do next?"

John: "Put screw 'E' through slot 'T'."

Ken: "I didn't understand that, could you
please repeat."

John: "Oh, okay. Tell me when you're
ready for that instruction again."

Ken: "Ready now."

The conversation continues in this
fashion, guaranteeing that both John and
Ken are fully aware of what the other is
doing. In real life, people wouldn't have
the patience to keep up that sort of
banter, but that's why they make more
mistakes than a computer.

It is just this sort of 'conversation' that
the two computers have between each
other, only the language is different; the

instruction is replaced by the block of
data, and all other statements by special
codes.

Communication Codes

One of the areas where simple protocols
fall apart is in the transmission of 'hand-
shaking codes'. It's called 'handshaking'
because it implies that the two computers
are having a dialogue, rather than a
monologue. These other protocols rely on
single byte (8 bit) words for their com-
munication codes. That could spell trou-
ble, since the likelihood of any one 8 bit
code being transposed into another is
greater than for multiple byte codes. For
this reason, 'Cl' uses 3 byte (24 bit) codes
~ sufficiently different that the likelihood
of a transposition is extremely low. Not
only that but, as you will soon learn, the
method of receiving 3 byte codes is so
designed that if there is sufficient line
noise to make the neccessary transposi-
tions, there would most likely be extra
characters sent; 'Cl' can avoid this
situation.

Five distinct codes are used in the
protocol: GOO, BAD, ACK, S/B and SYN.
Each has its own meaning, just like any
English word, and all are used in a
specific sequence so that synchronization
difficulties will be automatically identified
and corrected.

Checksums

When a block of data is sent, we must
have a way of determining if it is correct-
ly received or not. This is accomplished
by using what is known as a checksum.
Quite simply, a checksum is a number
mathematically derived from all the bytes
within the block. The receiving computer
recalculates the sum and compares it with
the sum received along with the block.
Theoretically, any fault in the transmit-
ted data will result in the two checksums
not matching; but that's theory. In reali-
ty, the accuracy of the checksum depends
on the type of mathematical operation us-
ed to calculate it, and what kind of noise
it encounters.

The simplest way to create a checksum
is to add up all the ASCII values of the
bytes contained in the block. This is fine
for many types of errors, but not the type
that inverts a particular bit. Should two
identical inversions occur on two opposite
bits, the sum will remain the same. For

22 TPUG Magazine

example, let's add the following two
bytes:

Now assume that the fourth bit from the
right of both of these bytes becomes in-
verted by line noise:

1101 1011 = E19
+ 0110 0101 = 101

320

As you can see, the sum remains 320,
even though line noise has made obvious
changes to the bytes. A better system is
one called 'cyclic redundancy', which
works on a somewhat different principle.
The checksum is 16 bits long, and is
created in the following fashion: each
byte from the block is Exclusive ORed
with the low order part of the checksum.
The checksum is then rotated one bit to
the left, and the procedure repeated with
the next byte.

Even this highly superior method can
be tripped up, so I have combined both an
additive checksum and a cyclic redun-
dancy checksum to create one very-hard-
to-beat 32 bit 'super' checksum.

Listening for code words

Although 3 byte code words are more
reliable than 1 byte code words, nothing
is perfect. It has been said that if you let
an infinite number of monkeys bash away
at typewriters for an infinite amount of
time, one of them would eventually type
'To be or not to be, that is the question'.
Although this stretches statistical pro-
bability to its limit, this kind of thing can
easily happen on a smaller scale: the let-
ters GOO could quite conceivably be pro-
duced by purely random line noise.

To try and eliminate ail possible errors
isn't feasible, but 'CI' makes an attempt
at eliminating as many as possible. It is
very probable that any noise capable of
randomly producing GOO would not stop
there; more likely, it would produce a
string of characters, something like
HGOOEK. Were we to allow the protocol
to listen exclusively for three letter com-
binations, it would most assuredly pick
out the GOO in that string.

My specifications for 'CI' call for a code
recognition routine that will only make
code word comparisons on the last three
received bytes. This is accomplished in my

coding by going back and testing for fur-
ther characters after I have identified a
three byte code word. Should another
byte be present, the identified code word
is thrown away, and the search will
continue.

Statement and Listen Loops

One immediate drawback to the system
described above is that a real code word,
masked within some random noise, would
be rejected by the receiving computer.
This would also be true of a code word
simply damaged by noise (like GOE). For
a protocol to be impervious to this sort
of corruption, it must be capable of
restating code words over and over until
the receiving computer can understand,
yet it must also have a way of knowing
whether the receiving computer got the
code word or not. This was a fact that
eluded me when I wrote the original
protocol.

When we talk to other people, the cor-
nerstone of understanding is recognition.
If we ask: "What do you think?", yet get
no reply, we ask again. Only when we
receive a reply from the person to whom
we are talking do we continue with our
next statement. It would be pointless
wasting our breath on someone who isn't
listening.

Within 'Cr, communication between
computers is handled through a similar
system, which I call the 'Statement and
Listen Loop'. It's quite simple, really:
when one computer has to 'say'
something to the other, it does so, then
waits for a predetermined time for a
known response. Should it fail to receive
a response writhin that period of time, the
code word is said again, and the computer
listens for the reply. This continues until
the required response is heard.

The system is further enhanced by the
fact that both computers are always
engaged in a 'Statement and Listen
Loop'.

Synctironjzation Lock

That rather ominous-sounding title is ac-
tually rather simple: it refers to a condi-
tion whereby the 'Statement and Listen
Loops' of each computer become locked
together. This is analogous to two peo-
ple speaking at the same time, over and
over, so that no effective communication
takes place. In order to guarantee that
the two computers never get into this
state, the wait times of the loops are
altered slightly.

Assume that the fixed wait loop time
was 0.5 seconds; this is called a 'Short'
wait. We also have a 'Long' wait, which

would be slightly longer, say 0.6 seconds
(actually, the delay within a 'Statement
and Listen Loop' is not particularly
critical, but should be somewhere in the
neighbourhood of one half second). Each
time the computer goes through an SLL,
a counter would determine which type of
wait to use, long or short. The sequence
is broken into three; the transmitting
computer will use a Long-Long-Short,
while the receiving computer will use a
Short-Short-Long.

Blocl< Structure

Each block of data contains somewhat
more than just a collection of characters
taken from disk: it also contains a
'header'. The header is 7 bytes long, and
contains the following information:

Byte 1: Low part of additive checksum

Bj-te 2: High part of additive checksum

Byte 3: Low part of CLC checksum

Byte 4: High part of CLC checksum

Byte 5: Size of next block

Byte 6: Low part of block number

Byte 7: High part of block number

As you remember from the section on
'checksums', there are two distinctly dif-
ferent, 16 bit (2 byte) checksums. One is
an additive checksum, composed of the
mathematical sum of the PETASCII
values of all the data bytes (and bytes 5
through 7 of the header). The other
checksum is calculated using Cyclic (CLC)
Redundancy (on the same bytes). These
32 checksum bits are placed in the first
4 bytes of the header.

The 5th byte is the length of the riext
block. This may seem odd to some, but
consider the difficulties in sending the
size of the current block in that self-same
block. You need to know the block size
in order to calculate the checksum, but
you can't know for sure that the block size
is correct unless you have verified the
checksum — a 'Catch-22' situation. By
sending the size of any given block in the
■previous block, the size is known for a
fact before the checksum is calculated.

The 6th and 7th byte contain the block
number. This was added quite early in the
development of 'CT, under the assump-
tion that it would be necessary (as it is
in XMODEM). As it turned out, 'Cl' uses
a method of handshaking that makes this
unnecessary. Nonetheless, my specifica-
tions call for its inclusion, as certain uses
of the block number could be made. Also,
the high order part of the block number
(byte 7 of the header) is used to flag the
last block.

Concluded in next issue.

October 198S 23

Micro Processes.

A 64K Expansion
For The Olde Pette

by John R. Kurczak

Those who are looking for ways to extend the power of their
PET 2001 computers may want to consider the 64K expansion
RAM board from Microport Microcomputer Services, Along with
the 80 column keyboard conversion I discussed in the May issue, .
this board effectively transforms the 2001 into an 8096, The
board is approximately 9.5 inches long by 4 inches wide, much
smaller than other boards available for the PET. It mounts very
snugly just inside the rear casing, leaving the main logic board
accessible to the user. This tiny size is achieved by using eight
4164K RAMs. There are also four empty ROM sockets that are
not used. No information is given for their purpose in the board
design. If these sockets could be eliminated, the dimensions of
the board would be decreased even further. The 6502 processor
chip fits into the other empty 40 pin socket.

The installation of this board is more involved than the 80 col-
umn keyboard, as there is some soldering and desoldering of
the main board. Depending on your ability to solder and the prob-
lems encountered, the board should take no more than an hour
or two to install.

The extra 64K of RAM in an 8096 is addressed in the second
half of memory space in four 16K selectable blocks. The BASIC
ROMs must be disabled before the processor can access the
RAMs in this area, A NO ROM line is required to accomplish
this — processor socket pin 5 is connected to all pin 21s of the
ROM sockets. Because this NO ROM line does not exist on the
2001 nine inch screen PETs, a small modification to the logic
board is required.

The installation requires the following steps:

1) Unplug the wires from the main logic board and remove it
from the machine casing by pinching the nylon pillars and pull-
ing upwards on the board.

2) On the underside of the board, solder a 120 ohm resistor with
attached wire to pin 5 of the 6502 processor chip UC4. Solder
the other end to pin 20 of UC3.

3) Cut the wire to a length of 80 mm and save it for step 5. Now
solder this wire to pin 5 of UA3 near cassette port 1.

4) Pin 18 at UD4 is desoldered (a desoldering gun is recom-
mended for this by the manufacturer, but I used some desolder-
ing mesh with no problems — much cheaper for a one-time job).
The pin must be pulled out from the logic board when the solder
has been removed. Clean the hole and bend the pin out from
the chip.

5) Strip one end of the wire from step 3, pass it through the

desoldered hole and solder it to pin 18 of the chip. Next, solder
the other end of this wire to ptn 6 of the UA3 chip after it has
been cut to fit.

6) Remove the 6502 processor from its socket and place it into
the extra 40 pin socket on the 64K board. Make sure the little
notch (this tells you which end of the chip is the front) is facing
in the same direction as the rest of the chips already mounted
on the board.

7) Now the board must be positioned into place on the rear
casing inside the PET. The board is placed with the ribbon cable
to the right (this plugs into the now-empty processor socket in
the main board) so that the cut-outs for the port are not blocked).
Press it into position,

8) Refit the main board and then plug the ribbon cable into the
processor socket. Fit the remaining cabled sockets and check
all the connections.

To test the board, turn on the power. You should get the nor-
mal '31743 bytes free' message. If no 8096 software is available,
use POKE 65520,128, which will crash the machine if the board
was connected properly. My machine did crash, and I am hap-'
py to say it worked properly the first time.

I did have some problems desoldering the pin in step 4. 1 am
no expert in soldering, and was afraid to apply too much heat
to the wire mesh that sucks up the solder. Finally, after four
tries, I got the pin desoldered without ruining the chip on the
board. This was the only difficult part of the whole assembly.
Make sure you have the proper locations of the chips mention-
ed in the instructions — no diagram is provided. Having a
diagram would have made things a little easier to locate on the
board.

To test its compatibility with an 8096, I loaded the COMAL
1.02 language and found that it booted up without a hitch. The
extra 64K memory gives you 38692 bytes free to program with
in COMAL. I have had no problems in a couple of months of
use. Now all I need are some word processors and spreadsheets
to further test its compatibility.

The 6iK RAM expansion board can be obtained for 250 pounds
sterling from: Microport Microcomputer Services, 7 Clydesdale
Close, Borehamwood, Herts., England, WDS 2SD, Tel:
01-953-8385. Q

Write Protect
In Software

by Efraim Half on

Assume that an important program or a data set, stored on a
1541 floppy disk, must be circulated to other users, who will-
ingly or unwillingly may modify the disk content. A write-protect
sticker on the disk may be a temporary protection but. . . the

24 TPUG Magazine

Micro Processes J

sticker can easily be removed. The solution is to put the protec-
tion on the disk itself. A short program is sufficient to install
write protection that is very difficult to bypass or remove. The
1541 operating system (DOS) itself will prevent anyone from
writing on the disk and the sticker is now redundant, subject
to certain limitations described later on. So, how is this done?

Very simply: all that's required is to change one critical byte
on track 18, sector of the disk. This byte (byte 2) normally
holds a value of 65 (ascii 'a'), which is placed there when the
disk is first formatted. On subsequent write operations {except
formatting) this byte is checked by the DOS; if it does not con-
tain 65, the DOS assumes that the disk is in a foreign format
and will not allow the write to proceed. However, read opera-
tions are not affected.

The program below changes byte 2 on track 18, sector from
65 to 63 (ascii '?'). This is accomplished with the U1 (block-read)
and U2 (block-write) direct access disk commands. The entire
block is read into one of the disk drive buffers, the byte is
changed, and the block is written out again. And that's all it
there is to it. You now have a write-protected disk, and it's all
done in software.

Note of caution

Remember, protecting your disks by this method is like getting
a tattoo — there's no allowance for second thoughts. While your
data and programs can now be widely circulated, without you
worrying about somebody carelessly destroying them, the only
simple way to defeat the write protection is to reformat the disk
— which destroys all your data. D

40
50
60
70
80
90

100

lie

lEQ
130
140
150

em open error channel 15 r write c

annel 5

pen 15,8,15: open 5,8,5, "«"

em read "the entire blocK of data

space>from the disK

rint#15,"ui:5, 0,18,0"

em set bu-f-fer pointer to byte E

rint«15,"b-p! "5,3

em change byte £ to question marK

r intS5,"?";

em urite to disK in track 18, sec

prantttl5,"uS:5, 0,18,0"

reset drive

print«15,"u; "

close all channels

close 5: close 15

rem that 's al 1 -folKs !

Changing the 1541
Device Number

by Robert E. Ross

In the Answer Desk section of TPUG Magazine's April issue,
Ronald Lisoski brought up the problem of making a 1541 disk
drive 'aware' that its device number has been changed by a user-

rigged selection switch. His answer was to turn the drive off,
then on again. There is a software alternative available in the
disk reset command, however. Use either:

open 15,<dn>,15, "uj": close 15

or:

open 15,dn,15,

close 15

where <dn > is the current device number of the drive. This
command works by executing the power-up vector. If the disk
command channel is already open, use PRINT#15,"UJ" instead.
As a point of interest, you can also use U; or UZ, instead of UJ
or U:, which are the standard forms.

While it is convenient to have a software alternative for reset-
ting the drive, turning the drive off and then back on is prob-
ably easier. Those who like to type can use the 'memory-write'
command:

open 15 , <dn >, 15

pr intttl5,"m-u"+chr*(119)+chr*(0)-H

chr*(2)+chr*(3£ + <neui dn>) +

chr*':64 + <neu dn>)
close 15

Memory location 119 in the 1541 contains the listen address of
the drive (32-i- <dn>), and 120 holds the talk address of the
drive (64-i- <dn>). The two can be different, but BASIC pro-
grammers won't find this information very useful. BASIC does
seem able to handle drive numbers in the range of 4 to 30, when
119 and 120 are both set with the same value. The UJ, U: and
M-W commands are explained on pages 38-40 of the ISJ/l User's
Manual, 2nd edition. But note that the colon should probably
be omitted (M-W, not M-W:); my drive never does the command
correctly when the colon is used. D

20-dollar Software?
Here's Why Not

by J. Allan Farquharson

Recently I read in a weekly computer newspaper a letter to the
editor that claimed one should be able to buy commercial soft-
ware for about 20 dollars. Current prices in hundreds of dollars
were strictly rip-offs. Perhaps you agree.

Writing a program takes time. Did you ever type in one of
those long ones from a magazine? That takes long enough. But
programming a big commercial product will take from three hun-
dred to one thousandror more man-hours. Most of these are writ-
ten by teams to cut down the overall time in getting finished,
Apple's Lisa computer cost 50 million dollars to develop, much
of it spent on the software products and the operating system.

"I want your program for twenty dollars." A car for two thou-
sand is a good price. Why not? Often the dealer gets up to forty
per cent of the sale. Then the distributors take about another
forty. That leaves about twenty per cent for you, the guy who
wrote the program. If the sale price is one hundred, you get
twenty. If the sale price is twenty, you get four dollars. We can
argue about the split on price, but you will almost always get
the smalt part!

October 1985 25

Micro Processes:

If you pay yourself thirty bucks an hour, then you need to get
back 30 times 300 for that super program that took you 300
hours to write. That's only nine thousand bills. At four bucks
a shot that will take sales of 9000/4. Only 2250 sales to get your
money back!

Now, let's say that your friend Albert buys a copy and sells
it to his friend for fifty cents, and she gives a copy to her friend
for nothing. And he gives a copy to his friend . . . Now your sales
dwindle to five hundred. You never get any more because the
whole thing is a give-away.

There is another problem, aside from that pirate, Albert, who
puts you out of business. You cannot sell anything without it
costing something. Let's drive to the big city and spend a month
there visiting all the folks you can find. Hotel; 900 dollars; meals:
600 dollars; gas and wear and tear on the old heap: (not you!)
600 dollars. Not bad — and you made forty sales.

Just as a matter of interest on that sale of goods: If you take
all the money, you just netted 40 times 20, or 800 dollars. But
you spent 2100 dollars, and you haven't paid the rent at home
yet, and you're running low on groceries. Something sadly
wrong there. I'll bet you a canister of skink oil you know the
answer. You have to sell the product for more money!

Right! And many other costs will have to be worked into the
picture: Advertising, printing, wages, office overhead,
telephone, heat, light and power.

Perhaps I'd better let the distributor sell my product. But he
has costs, too, and that 20 dollar price is a rocket that will never
leave the Cape.

Being a financial wizard is not my thing. Having spent several
years developing software, I have discovered some of the
realities. And by the way, about that guy in the US who was
selling Pascal for twenty-nine dollars for a couple of years —
he went bankrupt owing many folks a copy for which they had
already paid. And he advertised nationally! I bet his arithmetic
was as bad as mine. And that's why 20 dollar deals are not in
orbit. a

DATA Dodger

by Paul Blair

The idea for this little routine came from a friend of mine whose
work entails a lot of statistical processing. His difficulty was
that the arrays he had set up for efficient operation were not
big enough to handle all the data in his DATA statements at one
time. Could he enter all the data, but operate selectively on only
parts of it?

BASIC uses a pointer to keep track of DATA values. You may
have a table of 200 items, and READ them ten at a time at
various parts of your program. When you READ for the first
time, the pointer is aimed at the very first DATA item. With
each READ, the pointer moves on to the next value. You may
jump back to the start of your DATA with RESTORE, but there
is no way (apart from READing all the intermediate values) of
jumping forward. Or so I thought.

The Commodore 64 and VIC 20 store the DATA pointer in
locations 65 and 66 (62 and 63 in PETs), By poking the values
found at locations 61 and 62 (58 and 59) — the pointer to the

TO PERMIT SELECTION OF
DATA FROM A LOtslG LIST.

address of the current BASIC statement — into the DATA
pointer, you can easily set up subroutines to read in any desired
block of data.

10 REM! DATA DODGER

£0 !

30 REM: PAUL BLAIR

40 !

50 REM!

60 REM:

70 :

500 INPUT "WHICH BLOCK"; A

510 ONAGOSUB 600,700 ,300 ,900 :END

5£0 :

600 PL=PEEK(61):PH=PEEK<6a)

601 P0KEG5,PL:P0KE66,PH
G£0 READA*,B*,C*:PRINTA$,B$,C*
640 DATA FIRST, FRED, 3
G50 RETURN
660 :

700 PL=PEEK<B1):PH=PEEK<:GS>

701 P0KEe5,PL:P0KE66,PH
710 DATA SECOND
720 READA*:PRINTA$
750 RETURN
760 :

800 PL=PEEK<6n:PH=PEEKC6£)
■301 P0KE65,PL:P0KE66,PH
810 DATA THIRD
820 READA*:PRINTA*
850 RETURN
660 :

300 PL=PEEK<6n:PH=PEEK<6a)
901 P0KE65,PL:P0KE6G,PH
910 DATA "FOURTH"
9£0 READA*:PRINTA*
950 RETURN

Line Delete
Subroutine

by M. Garamszeghy

Often when developing a new BASIC program or extensively

modifying an old one, I am faced with the task of deleting
relatively large blocks of the program (10 to 20 lines or more).
Unfortunately, Commodore B ASICs prior to the Plus/4 do not
include the DELETE command found in some more advanced
forms of BASIC. The lines can, of course, be deleted by entering
each line number followed by RETURN, but this becomes very
tedious after the first dozen or so lines!

My solution to this annoyance is a short subroutine called
Linedelete. This routine can be included at the beginning of any
BASIC program under development. Once the program is
finalized, you can delete the routine. (No, you cannot use
Linedelete to delete itself,) The routine will not affect the opera-
tion of a normal BASIC program if you choose not to delete it.

26 TPUG Magazine

Micro Processesj

Lines and 4 form a bypass around the routine when the host
program is run.

To use Linedelete, simply type the following in the immediate
mode, using the appropriate numerical values for the parameters
in square brackets:

LO = [ls-t line# ±o del ] :HI = [1 ast 1 ine#
■to del ]: IN=[1 ine# incr-emerit ] :G0T01
The program will print out the value of LO, followed by a state-
ment similar to that which y.ou just typed in, except that the
value of LO will be incremented each time by IN. This process
wilt be repeated until the value of LO is greater than HL

Linedelete works by 'fooling' the computer into thinking that
a series of commands has been entered in the immediate mode.
(You can only delete lines when in the immediate mode.) This is
done by printing the line numbers to the screen, then poking into
the keyiioard buffer the same characters (cursor ups and
returns) you would use to delete a line in direct mode. Each
time program execution halts, the keyboard buffer is read and
the line is deleted just as though you had done it yourself.

Wiile not as fast or romantic as an intrinsic DELETE com-
mand, this subroutine is equally effective at removing unwanted
lines. In some cases, it can also be more versatile than a normal
DELETE command. For example, if you wanted to delete every
second line in a range of the program, setting the /ATparamater
of the Linedelete routine to the correct value would bypass the
lines you wanted to retain.

The version shown is for the Commodore 64. However, the
routine can be easily adapated for other Commodore computers.
For the VIC 20, simply insert an extra cursor up in the string U$
in line 1. For PET/CBM machines, change the assignments of if
and A'' in line 1 to 622 and 158 respectively. D

go-to 4

1 K=630:n=198:u$="<4 up >" +chr$( 13) +
chr$<13):u=len<u*):iflo>hi-then end

S printlo:-fori = l1:cu:poKeK + i,asc<mid$C
u*,i)):next:poKen,u

3 pr int"lo="lo+in":hi="hi " : in="in":go
•to 1": end

4 :

How to Beat
Sargon III

by Don Fox

Despite Mike Martin's warning in the March issue, I recently
set myself the task of solving Sargon III at level 1 (the default
level). By this I mean that I wanted to discover a series of moves
that always wins. I have noticed before that chess programs rare-
ly deviate much from a set of moves, if you play the same set
against them, and this proved to be the case with Sargon III,
with certain exceptions I will mention later.

Let me hasten to say at the outset that I have not yet been
totally successful in achieving my goal. I have made significant
progress, however, and I pass this on to you to encourage any
would-be conquerors of Sargon III to persevere. While it is a
remarkably powerful program, it is not unbeatable.

When you boot up Sargon III, it automatically gives you level
1, which means it takes an average of five seconds per move.
In addition to this, however, the program is busy calculating
its next move whenever you are contemplating yours. If you wish
to prevent this, you can enter CTRL-E, which puts the program
in 'easy mode' — the default level is not the easiest one available.
This discussion leads to one reason why Sargon sometimes
deviates from a sequence of moves: if it has been given time
to look further ahead it may hit upon a better move leading to
a superior position. Once you have found a set of moves that
wins, however, as long as you play these at the same speed as
you did when you discovered them, Sargon should make the
same responses, enabling you to impress your friends with your
chess playing skill. As an example consider the following game:

White: Don Fox
Black: Sargon III

1 D2-D4 G8-F(i

2 E2-E3 G7-G6

3 F2-f4 F8-G7

4 B1-C3 0-0

5 G1-F3 D7-D5

6 F1-D3 C8-F5?

7 D3XF5 G6XF5

This leaves Black's King's position seriously weakened.

8 0-0 B8-C6

9 F3-E5 F6-E4

10 C3XE4 F5XE4

11 D1-G4 C6XE5

12 F4XE5 D8-C8

Black wishes to exchange Queens, but White declines.

13 G4-G3 C7-C5

14 C1-D2 C5XD4

15 E3XD4 C8XC2

Here White has set a cunning trap and Black obligingly
falls in.

16 D2-H6 C2XG2-(-
Desperation!

17 G3XG2 G8-H8

Not enough time to escape impending doom.

18 G2XG7 mate

This game is forced after Black's first move. You can compel
Black to make this move by entering CTRL-V at the beginning
of the game, making the first move for both White and Black,
and typing CTRL-V again to free Sargon to play Black's moves.
If this seems like cheating, you can let Sargon move freely from
the outset and the program will frequently make the desired
move anyway, since opening theory regards it as a good answer
to 1 D2-D4. The complete solution would force mate no matter
what Black's first move was but, as I mentioned above, I have
not yet achieved that. I have also discovered a 15-move forced
mate at level 1, starting with 1 D2-D4; D7-D5, another open-
ing approved by standard theory. This win appears to result from
a bug in Sargon III, and I will not reveal it here, but rather
leave it as a challenge for the reader. If you're not up to that,
you may want to try some variations on the above game; there
is one that leads to mate in 16, an improvement of 2 moves.
I would also welcome any games from readers that despatch
Sargon III in fewer than 20 moves starting from other com-
mon openings, such as 1 D2-D4; D7-D6, 1 D2-D4; C7-C5 and
1 D2-D4; F7-F5. Note that I have specialized in Queen pawn
openings for White, but I have nothing against other openings
if they lead to speedy wins. Just send them along to me care
of the editor of TPUG Magazine and, when space allows, we
can publish the best of them. D

October 1 985 27

Sign on to
CompuServe

For only $39.95* Cdn .** get a complete CompuServe Starter Kit

with detailed manuals and 1 hour of time. Please add $5.00 for shipping

and handling. *U.S. send $28.95 + $5.00. Ontario Residents add 7% RS.T.

YES!
TPUG, SEND
ME THE KIT

NAME

ADDRESS

CtTY PROVINCE

SEND COUPON TO:

POSTAL CODE

TPUG

101 Duncan Mill Rd.

Suite G-7

D 1 have enclosed my cheque for $39.95 + S5.00 shipping.
D Charge my Visa # EXP.

Don Mills, Ontario
Canada MSB 1Z3

D Charae my M/C # FXP.

.<-«^

•Multi tasking

• 4096 colours

• Graphics speed faster than closest competitors

• Stereo music
•Voice synthesis

• Mouse driven

• Pull down menus

• IBM compatible too

NOW ON DISPLAY

COMMODORE PC 10

FLEXIBLE,

AFFORDABLE, AND
IBM COMPATIBLE.

TTiis IS Commodore's femarkaWe new PC10 It's the f)exit>le. affordable

computer that can help businesses grow

Among a wide range of functions the new PCiO runs the MS DOS

operating system, the industry standard

The PCIO comes standard with 2S6K memory, monochrome monitor,

monitor card, two 360K 5V." douDle density. douOle sided disk drives and

on board serial and parallel interfaces

It's modular in design There are 5 available expansion slots which allows

for a huge range of add-ons to be fitted

A computer by any other name wouldn't be as good a value

Or. more importantly, as good a computer

$2995.00

CANADIAN

The complete guide

to the 1541
operating system.

$25.95

■-^.

$39.95

PaperClip

(the word processor)

$79.95

m\\\ SpellPack
S99.9S

Boss
Joystick

$23.95

Kraft
Joystick

$17.95

Ribbons

1525

1526

4023

Spirit 80

801

802

8023

4022

MX80

RX80

$12.95
$14.95
$14.95
$14.95
$12.95
$14.95
$14.95
$12.95
9.95
9.95

MACHINE LANGUAGE FOR BEGINNERS BY |IM BUTTERFIELD $20.95

a£cnorec> 2001 ltd.

Namfi
Address

aEcnoreo 2001 ltd.

5529 Yonge Street, Witlowdale, Ontario M2N 5S3

Tei: (416) 22S-8400

Note: All price* In Canadian Funds. Phone and mall orders welcome.

Ontario residents add 7% sales tax.

Add B*M for shipping (minimum charge $2.00)

■■J ^^|i>- ,^K. lOW) discount for TPUG members on regular
SP" *■» ^Ki priced software, accessories and magazines.

r Cfieck or money order enclosed C Visa CMaslerCharge D American

Express

Acct# Fxp Dalp Rignaturf!

Library Additions

C-64 Disk (C)TL

Presented by Mike Donegan

This month's disk features a Petspeed
version of crossword 7/nil.c, an educa-
tional program that allows you to
generate your own crossword puzzles.
Associated files include: crossword 7.z
(the BASIC version of crossword
7/inl.p), crossword 7 in.z (the instruction
program for crossword 7), crossword
insl.w and crossword ins2.w (WordPro
files containing the instructions). Also in-
cluded is a wide variety of files for out-
putting the crosswords to various
printers (the filenames for these are
prefixed with pf). If you need to make
your own printer file, you can use the
utility cross.pf.maker.z (which is also
supplied), and for which instructions are
contained in the WordPro files
cross. pf.ins l.w through cross. pf.ins
5.W.

Also on this disk is a freeware version
of Turtle Pilot, a language designed to
help educators write computerized
lessons and text. It includes graphics,
music and sound effect commands. The
language is easy to learn, and allows com-
plete control of screen colours, graphics
modes and sprites. It also allows you to
mix Pilot and BASIC in the same
program.

The list-me file for this disk contains
a directory of the commands available in
this implementation of Pilot, and example
programs are contained in the files
examplel through examp!e2. These pro-
grams are from the Turtle Pilot 64
reference manual (see the program for
details on where to get this
documentation).

Finally, this disk also contains two new
programs from Jim Butterfield. One is a
completely redone version of Supermon,
called Supermon -i- 64. This one emulates
almost exactly the built-in monitor of the
C-128 running in C-128 mode. Thanks to
Jim, C-128 users will not have to deal
with two different monitors when they
switch sides on their machines. Instruc-
tions for the new version will be found in
the file supermon + inst.

Jim's other new program is called list
all. It will produce a formatted listing to
screen, printer or disk of any Commodore

BASIC program (from any of the 65xx-
based machines), and tell you which
machines the program will run on.

c-64 disK <c)tl

26 °li£t-me (cHl.l" prg

91 "crossword 7/ml.6" prg

81 "crossuord 7.z° prg

41 "crossword 7 in.z" prg

£3 "crossword insl.ui" prg

15 "crossuord insS.u" prg

2 "p-f-mx80 i.d" seq

£ "p-f-mx80 iii.d" seq

1 "p-f-15£6.d" seq

1 "p-f-20££.d" seq

2 "p-f-gemin i .d ■ seq

1 "p-f-80£3.d" seq

2 "p-f -prour iter .d " seq
£ "p-f-rx80.d" seq
1 "p-f-mps 801 .d" seq

3 "p-f-m-t 160/180. d" seq
E "pf-teo px80.d" seq

1 "p-f-4023.d" seq

2 "pf-spiri-t 80. d" seq
a "p-f-6400 asc.d" seq
68 "cross .p-f-maxer .z " prg
£7 "cross .p-f. ins l.u" prg
3£ "cross.pf . ins 2.u" prg
31 "cross .p-f. ins 3.u" prg
31 "cross .p-f . ins 4.u" prg
24 "cross, p-f. iris 5.u" prg
24 "tur-tle pilot" prg
1 "examplel" prg
5 "example2" Prg
E "examples" prg

1 "example4" prg

2 "examples" prg

3 "examples" prg
3 "ex amp 1 e 7 " P r g
£9 "supermon* inst" prg
13 "supermon ■f-64" prg
£4 "1 ist al 1 " prg

PET Disk (P)TL
Presented by Mike Donegan

This month's disk features a Petspeed
version of crossword 7/nil.c, an educa-
tional program that allows you to
generate your own crossword puzzles.
This is the same program that appears on
this month's C-64 disk: for details consult
the C-64 description above.

Also on this disk is diskutil.8 — a disk
utility similar to disk doctor. It is set up
to work with the 4040 disk drive. Brief-

ly, it enables you to look at disk files and
blocks (hex or ascii format), and to edit
any block on a disk. Instructions for this
program are contained in help diskutil.S;
and the help use help.8 program will give
you instructions on generating such help
files yourself. You do this by inserting
DATA statements into the program help
(empty).p.

Finally this month, we have a freeware
pacakage that will allow you to calculate
taxes on AT&T shareholders. The
package consists of two files: divest.S
business and divest inst.8 instructions.

pet

£0

£3

£7

3£

£4

£5

disK <p)tl
"list-me (p)tl.l"
"d isKutil .8"
"he Ip d isKut il .8"
"help use help.8"
"help <empty).p"
"crossuord 7/ml .p
"crossuord
"crossuord
"crossuord
"crossuord

7.Z"
7 in,
ins 1 .
in££,

i.d"

iii.d"

"p-f-mx80

"Pf-15£6

"p-f-£0££

"p-f -gemin i.d"

"p-f-8023.d"

"p-f -pr our iter . d "

"p-f-rx80.d"

"pf-mps 801. d"

"p-f -mt 160/180. d"

"p-f-teo pxSa.d"

"pf-40£3.d"

"p-f-spirit 80. d"

"p-f-6400 asc.d"

"cross .p-f .maKer .

"cross -pf . ins

"cross .p-f . ins

"divest.S"

"divest inst.S

.z "

l.u"
£.w"
3.U"
4.U"

5.U"

prg

seq

prg

VIC Disk (V)TK

Presented by Richard Best

Games: Slalom, a down-hill ski
game/demo; Torpilleur, Bombs Away in
French; Spider Rescue, like Berzerk;

30 TPUG Magazine

416-445-4524

Name_

SOFTWARE ORDER FORM

TORONTO PET USERS GROUP

101 Duncan Mill Road, Suite G^7

Don Mills, Ontario

MSB 1Z3

416-445-4524

Membership No.

Street Address

City/Town/P.O. _
Province/State _
Postal/ZIP Code

. Telephone

DISKS

'^° u^f^5.^!o ^ "^^^^^ ^y ^^^^' ^^"^ ^l^-^*^ ^^^ ^^<=h 4040/2031/1540/1541 disk (4040 format), and $12 00 for
each 8050/8250 disk (8050 format). We do honour purchase orders from school boards.

These disks are for use with a computer and a disk drive.

Please send me the following:

3 Letter/No. 4040 or 8050

Code Description Format Price

Total

.00

TAPES

To order VIC 20 or Commodore 64 library tapes, send $6.00 for each tape.

To order PET/CBM or Commodore Educational Software, send $10.00 for each tape.

These tapes are for use with a computer and a datasette.

If for a PET computer, what model

3 Letter/No.
Code

Description

- BASIC- 1.0( ), 2.0( ), 4,0( )?
Price

Total

.00

The prices indicated include postage and handling as well as Ontario Provincial Sales Tax (if applicable)
U Cheque/money order enclosed (payable to TPUG) D VisayMastercard #

Expiry date

Signature

Librarv AtMltionsj

Caves of Ceti, similar to Cobra, with
horizontal scrolling; and Otiiello, a peren-
nial board-game favourite.
Utilities: RDB Char Gen, for custom
characters; System, to list BASIC
keywords; Pause Key; and Supennon -t- .

ProdMotivity: Simple Writer, a minimal
word processor; and Cass Label 1 & 2,
for printing cassette inserts with titles
{for both graphics and non-graphics
printers).

Educational: Planets, to plot planet posi-
tions over time; French 5K & 8K; a
reissue that will work with tape or
disk; Speedread; and Binary-fax, Hex-
fax, Memory-fax and Software-fax, a
series of tutorials on computer basics.
Demos: Enterprise, for you Trekkies;
Gemini Demo, for your Gemini printer;
Sound Story, an illustrated fairy tale;
and Square Demos 1 through 4 for SX.
A couple of notes: First, the instruc-
tions provided for Supermon -i- are set up
for the C-64. Perhaps some enterprising
member would like to convert them to
VIC 20 format. And second, the stock of
good programs for future library disks is
becoming sadly depleted. Send in your
stuff!

vic-20 disK <w)'tK

10 'lis-l-me <w>-t-K/l" prg

IS "1 ist-tne/E" prg

7 "planets. w" prg

10 "rdb char gen. ins" prg
il "rdb char gen.oSK" prg

4 "slalom" pr9
7 "simple uiri-ter.o" prg

11 "torp il leur .v5k" prg

5 "spider rescue. y5" prg
a "spiS" prg

5 "system. y" prg
9 "enterprise .v5K" prg

6 "gemini demo" prg

7 "caves o-f ceti.yS" prg

9 "cayes main" prg

10 "cass label .v " prg
10 °cass label.yS" prg

10 "French driU.ySK" prg

1 2 - « f " P f" 9
7 "sound story. y" prg
7 "speed read.y" prg
14 "b inary-+ax .y " prg

14 "hex-fax. V" prg

15 "memory —fax .y" prg
14 "so'ftuare-fax.y " prg
2 "pause Key .y" prg

11 "Othello. ySK". prg
9 "french drill.ySK" prg
1£- "-fe" PI'S
A "sfi'iar* demo.vsx" prg
4 , "square «2.vsx" prg

4 "square ttS.ysx" prg

2 "square ♦t4.ysx" prg

29 "supermon+.c " prg

13 "supermon+.y 12k " prg

SuperPET Disks
{S)TK and (S)TY

Descriptions of this month's SuperPET
disks were unfortunately not available at
press time. The directories appear below.

1£

perpet disK i:s)ty
"calc"
" c a 1 c £ "

"uhichvcalc:e"
"DEVCALC"
"deycalc<-in£tr :e "
"mfor+-patch3:bp"
"mbas ic^patch3:bp "
"notes<-patches :e "
"memap^t itles :e "
"memap*-addre£sie "
"randoms-text :bp "
" c o p y /K i 1 1 ; me n "
"copy/K ill :e iri"
"cl ipimen"
"cl ips-instr :e "
"0£9/pet .asm"
"arrow .asm"

cmd"

1st"

b09»

map "

mod "

"arrow ,
"arroy ,
"arrow ,
"arrow
"arrow
"arrow :men "
"-format"
"Format«-in-f :e

superpet d isK (s)tx

13 "describe. sep/85"
50 "BED IT"

117 "bedit^instr :e"

96 "bedits-tut :e "

80 "batch+-tut :e "

30 "changer-tut !e'

17 "f ixed^instr !€"

14 "dos^commands :e "
GS "BEDCALC"

71 "calc*-in£tr:e"

94 "calc<-tut :e"

prg
prg
seq
prg
seq
seq
seq
seq

£eq

seq
£eq
prg
seq
prg
seq
seq
seq
seq
seq
seq
seq
prg
prg
prg
seq

seq
prg
seq
seq
seq
seq
seq
seq
prg
seq
seq

COMAL Library Update

Presented by Victor Gough

The second series of 25 COMAL library
disks is now complete. The current
library comprises 44 disks in seven series.
Due to the increase in the size of the
library, the disk header conventions have
been elaborated. In addition to the usual

three-character disk code and the
COMAL-version identifier on the header,
a machine-type code has been added, to
allow for machines other than the C-64
to be identified. If no machine-type code
is present, then the disk is assumed to run
on the C-64. (K)L1 is an example of a
COMAL disk that does not run on the
C-64.

(K)Z8 and {K)Z9 are an expanded ver-
sion on two disks of the tutorial disk
(K)Z1. If this is your first look at COM-
AL, try either Z8 and Z9, or Zl.

Most of the books on COMAL in the
book series are available through your
local bookstore or the COMAL USERS
GROUP, USA.

(K)L1 contains the new upgraded ver-
sion for the PET/CBM computer line
which replaces the older 0.12 COMAL,
This has the same kernal as the 0.14 64
COMAL, but of course does not have the
C-64 sound and graphic packages.

(K)Tx COMAL today Disk Series

(K)T5 MIXED COMAL today #5
(K)T6 V0.14 COMAL today #6 side 1
(K)T7 V2.00 COMAL today #6 side 2
(K)T8 V0.14 COMAL today #7 side 1
(K)T9 V2.00 COMAL today #7 side 2
(K)TA V0.14 COMAL today #8 side 1
(K)TB V2.00 COMAL today #9 side 2

(K)Ux User Group Disk Series

(K)U6 V0.14 User Group #6
(K)U7 V0,14 User Group #7
(K)U8 V0.14 User Group #8

(K)Bx COMAL Book Series

(K)B7 V2.00 COMAL HANDBOOK (2nd

ed.)

(K)B8 V0.14 GRAPHICS PRIMER

(K)B9 V2,00 COMAL 2.0 PACKAGES

{K)BA V2.00 COMAL 80 (Commodore)

(K)Zx Miscellaneous Series

(K)Z5 V2.00 cartridge demo #2
(K)Z6 V2.00 cartridge demo #3
{K)Z7 V2.00 cartridge demo #4
(K)Z8 V0.14 Bricks tutorial #1
(K)Z9 V0.14 Bricks tutorial #2
(K)ZA V0.14 Utilities #2 side 1
(K)ZB V0.14 Utilities #2 side 2

(K)Xx Best of COMAL Series

{K)X1 VO.U best of disi< COMAL #1

(K)Lx New Language Series

(K}L1 PET V0.14 COMAL for PET/CBM

(K)Sx Slide Show Series

(K)S1 V0.14 hi-res pictures #1
(K)S2 V0.14 hi-res pictures #?.

32 TPUG Magazine

Super-OS/9* Is Here

TPUG has implemented the popular 6809 operating
system OS-9* on the SuperPET. Super-OS/9 greatly
expands the software availability and the hardware
capability of the SuperPET while preserving access
to the Waterloo languages and programs.

The cost of Super-OS/9 to club members is $195
(Cdn) (plus $10 shipment/handling Ontario residents
add 7% PST), which includes the cost of a hardware
modification that will not affect the normal operation
of your SuperPET, installation instructions and the
operating system disks.

To obtain your copy please send your cheque or
money order to:

TPUG

101 Duncan Mil! Rd., Suite G-7
Don Mills, Ontario
Canada M3B 1Z3

What does Super-OS/9 offer?

• A true disk operating with features found on UNIX*
systems and on the AMIGA.

• Multi-tasking and multi-user capability.

• Hierarchical directoiy stmcture with time/date stamps.

• Programmable file access privileges for increased
security.

Extensive software is available for OS-9, most
of which runs on Super-OS/9.

Super-OS/9 VI. I includes an assembler, editor,
symbolic debugger, communication software and ter-
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Reviews.

C Power

from Pro-Line Software

C language compiler

for Commodore 64

Review by C.G. Conville

"C?" you ask. Not the C? Yes, a real full-
fledged alternative to BASIC is now
available for the Commodore 64. This
new programming package from Pro-
Line Software attempts both to fill the
void left by BASIC'S problems and to
satisfy the needs of more experienced
programmers. But first, let's answer a
few questions.

What is C?

C is a (usually) compiled language that
was developed for the Unix operating
system on the DEC PDP-11 minicom-
puter in the 1970s. It's 'official' definition
can be found in the book The C Program-
ming Language by Kernighan and
Ritchie, commonly referred to as K&R,
Okay, then, biit what's it like?
C is an offshoot of B (makes sense,
right?). It is a 'structured' language, with
resemblances to Pascal and ALGOL.
Unlike BASIC, it lets subroutines (refer-
red to as procedures and functions) pass
parameters, and permits 'local' variables
(variables totally separate from the main
program or mainline). As well, C provides
for macros and object-code libraries.
Great! But what are you talking about?
The main point here is that you can com-
pile (if you want) just a few subroutines,
and save them to disk for future use. In
other words, you can program your task
in small pieces and then, when done,
bring them all together in a finished pro-
gram. This allows for your brother Phil
to work on the input/output routines, and
your sister Andrea to come up with the
calculation routines, while you wrap
everything up together with a mainline.
Understood. Bid ivhy shmdd I ward to me
C on my C-64?

Three reasons: It executes faster than
BASIC; structured programming will
help you in writing the program; and
chances are good that your program writ-
ten in C can be transported to other com-
puters (micros and minis) with little or no
modification. This is because C is a very
standardized language.

So C is compiled? I'm iised to inter-
jrreters. What is involved with a compiled
language?

As you may know, with an interpreted
language (like BASIC), your program is
interpreted as it is executed, instruction
by instruction. This makes program
development easy, but results in slow ex-
ecution. With a compiled language, your
program is typed in and modified first
using a program called an editor. This
part of your program is called the source
file. Then, a compiling program reads this
source file and translates it into machine
code (though some compilers translate
into an intermediate code called 'p-^ode'.
which is not as fast as machine language).
It may seem like more work using a com-
piled language than an interpreted one,
but compiled code has one big advantage
over interpreted code: it's nmch faster.
Now let's turn to the C-Power package
itself.

What's included

The C Power package consists of a
double-sided disk, an attractive (and
bulky!) manual, a stapled booklet of
additional documentation, and two cards
used for obtaining a backup and getting
update information from Pro-Line. The
manual is actually a proper book — C
Primer Plua, by Waite, Praia and
Martin. This looks like a perfect 'first
book' for the starting C programmer. It
is written in a friendly style, with fre-
quent comic-like illustrations, summaries
and exercises/projects. A nice added
touch is a puU-out-and-fold quick
reference card to the C language.

The additional documentation booklet
covers the basics: how to load in various
parts of the C Power package, the com-
mands and options for each program, and
a brief list of anomalies (departures from
the K&R standard). The last pages list
the various library functions included
with C Power, along with descriptions
and brief examples. These routines can
be called from any C program, and pro-
vide for useful functions such as file i/o,
string-handling and advanced
mathematical functions.

Finally, the disk itself! The double-sided
disk includes a fancy command-
interpreter called a shell, two editors, the
compiler/translator, a linker, some ex-
ample programs, and numerous files for
the function library mentioned above.

The Shell

The Shell is a program that provides an
environment for developing and compil-
ing your programs. It allows you to call
up various features of the C Power
package using simple one-line commands.
For example, to edit the file felgercarb.c,
it suffices to say:

ed felgercarb.c

The shell provides similar commands for
compiling and Unking your programs. Ex-
perienced Unix users (who are already
familiar with the shell concept) will
recognize the similarity between com-
mands on such systems and those in C
Power's shell. If you choose to compile
your programs so that they are run under
the shell (this is a linker option), then they
are executed by simply ty^iing the pro-
gram name. In effect, your programs add
new commands to the shell.

Like Unix shells, C Power's shell sup-
ports i/o redirection. This allows the user
to divert input or output operations from
the keyboard and display (called the
standard_input and standard_ouput in
Unix terms) from or to disk files. For ex-
ample, if a program asks for ten phone
numbers as input, then every time you
test it you normally must type in ten
numbers. Using redirection, you can
make the shell read the numbers from a
disk file (created with an editor),
eliminating the need for retyping. Output
redirection could be used to save the out-
put from a program's execution for
future use. Input and output redirection
are indicated by use of <filename1 and
>filename2 in the shell's command line
after the command/program name.
Diverting output to the printer is per-
formed by using > > (note to Unix users:
this is not an append).

Looking at the Shell again from a Com-
modore perspective, it also provides com-
mands for getting disk directories and
sending DOS commands via a 'wedge '-
like command. And if you are fortunate
enough to have two disk drives (or one
double drive), you can designate device/
drive numbers for your work disk and
system disk. Thus you can edit/compile/
link your program without ever having to
swap disks. This is a real convenience.
The commands used for changing device
numbers (the sys and work commands)
do not, however, actually change them in
the drives. These commands only tell C

36 TPUG Magazine

Reviews:

Power which disk is which. You will need
to change the disk's device numbers
beforehand (programs to do this are
available in the public domain).

The Editors

No programming environment is com-
plete without an adequate method of
creating and modifying your program's
source-code. C Power provides two
editors for this purpose, called cd and
ced. ed is a full-screen editor, with an ad-
ditional command mode for non-screen
functions (tike reading or writing a file
from/to disk, getting disk directories, a
disk wedge, and quitting the editor). It
also allows the use of buffers, which can
be used to hold material for editing, and
can be manipulated independently. A
typical situation where buffers could
prove. useful is where a programmer is
working on a mainline to a program in
one buffer, and keeps a set of associated
functions together in a separate buffer.
You are thus able to work on one thing
without having to look at the other con-
stantly.

However, by far the most important
mode of the editor is the full-screen mode.
This is where you will be, 90 per cent of
the time. Here, you type in your text in
free format, inserting and deleting much
as you would with a word processor. If
your line goes over 40 columns, the
screen scrolls horizontally as you continue
typing. Through some experimenting, I
determined that the maximum line length
is 240 characters (though the documen-
tation doesn't mention this). This is eas-
ily more than you are ever going to need,
but it's nice to know it's there. Cursor
movement is accomplished, not surpris-
ingly, by using the cursor keys, although
they may appear to behave a little
strangely. For example, instead of simply
cursoring down, the cursor is left on the
first non-blank character of the line. As
well, you can advance forwards and back-
wards a screen at a time using the page-
dowTi and page-up commands. Full search
and replace functions are available, along
with a 'cut-and-paste' feature. And since
C uses special characters (such as braces
and vertical bars) in programs, the editor
provides these also, using special key
combinations listed in the editor
documentation.

ced acts identically to the regular
editor, except that it will, on command,
perform a rudimentary syntax check on
whatever source-file is in memory. I say
'rudimentary' because the documentation
does not indicate how extensive the error-
checking is. It does, however, check for

problems like unclosed parentheses,
quotes and braces, which are the sources
of errors in most cases. I would strongly
advise using this particular editor for
most of your program development.
There's nothing more aggravating then
having to recompile a program several
times simply because of typing errors
(like ulse instead of else).

The Compiler

Any program that is to be compiled must
have a filename ending with '.c'. This is
not a problem at all, since it makes source
files easier to spot on a disk directory.
The shell command cc < filename >
starts compilation. Note that quotes are
not needed. If you are using a single
drive, the compiler will ask you to swap
disks at certain points. As your program
is compiling, it is listed to the screen. If
an error is found, this listing (and the
compile) pauses until you press a key to
continue. This prevents any possible er-
rors from scrolling off the screen while
you are out of the room, for example.
When the compile is finished, the object
file will be on disk with a '.o* suffix.

The Linker

Since C programs can be written in
several parts, and these parts can be wTit-
ten separately, it becomes necessary to
join the parts together, or 'link' them, to
create the final runnable program file.
This is the purpose of the shell command
link. The linker prompts you to type in
the names of your object files on the work
disk, and reads them in. Hitting RETURN
in response to the prompt will give you
a listing of unresolved references (the
parts it still needs before it creates the
final program). Usually, these references
will be calls to the function libraries. For
example, since most programs require in-
put and/or output, the library functions
scanf and printf will probably be listed
as external references. C Power provides
three standard libraries, called stdlib.l,
syslib.l and mathlib.I. Most programs
will probably need the first two in the
linking stage. They are found on the
system library disk. Finally, when all
references have been found by the linker,
it will ask you for the filename to write
to. This file will be what all this work is
for: the final product. You may specify
whether the linked program is to run in-
side the shell (the default), or as a regular
program file to be run from BASIC.

The Libraries

As mentioned above, C Power provides
three function libraries. The library syslib

is the largest (and, when looking at a
directory, the one with the most incom-
prehensible filenames). Since most of the
filenames start with 'c$', I think that this
library is more for object -code require-
ments than for callable functions like
scanf. The stdlib library contains the in-
put/ output and string functions, along
with a few handy ones that perform tasks
like allowing you to call a ROM routine,
to set the top-of-memory pointers used by
C Power, or to sort the contents of an
array. The library tnathlib contains the
standard logarithmic and trigonometric
functions, as well as hyperbolics, square
root, powers and various rounding func-
tions. In other words, these libraries are
very complete.

Other Goodies

The C Power package also provides

several shell utilities (taken from Sofi-
ware Tools In Pascal and, of course,
K&R) to aid in program development.
The first of these is find. This command
will check the standard input for a given
pattern of characters. The next utility is
called sort. As its name implies, this com-
mand will sort the standard input
alphabetically into the standard output.
An option is provided to allow for
numerical order as well. The third utility,
wfreq, has comparatively limited applica-
tions: it counts the number of occurrences
of each word in the standard input.

Better Goodies

Although those utilities may have their
uses, the most useful one provided is for-
mat which, as its name implies, is a text
formatter. Anyone who has used a word-
processing program (PaperCIip, Word-
Pro, Speedscript, and so on) will be
familiar with the idea of a file containing
your text along with commands to per-
form tasks such as centering or indent-
ing. Although not as powerful as a
dedicated word-processor, format does
provide the essentials: margin control,
centering, indenting, paging, and headers
and footers. Once you've prepared your
t^xt file with ed (or ced), you use the for-
mat command, specifying the file(s) to use
for formatting. The formatted text is sent
to the standard output, so it can be
redirected if desired. Useful as format
may be, it may be too much work simply
to get nice program listings. The print
command takes care of this: it prints a
listing with margins at the top and bot-
tom of each page, along with a header at
the top of each page. This is probably
handier than the shell's pr command,
which does no formatting.

October 1985 37

Reviews-

Benchmarking

After playing around with the package
for a while, I decided to see how well it
performs in comparison with BASIC. To
do this, I decided to implement the well-
known Sieve of Eratosthenes, which is
commonly used by BYTE and other
magazines for benchmarking purposes.
This is a technique used to find prime
numbers. Although I don't have space
here to give details, the outcome was
heavily in favour of C Power, especially
when the program was written to use in-
teger rather than floating point variables.
Compiling the BASIC version with the
Blitz! compiler produced a program that
was somewhat faster than C Power's for
floating point operation; when integer
versions were used, C Power retained a
considerable advantage.

Problems

Since I had ordered mine early, I received
one of the earlier copies of C Power (ver-
sion 1 .0). It had problems. To be fair, the
problems weren't serious and could be
worked around, but they were still annoy-
ing. Calling Pro-Line and talking to a
very helpful man named Stew Martin got
them aware of the problems (most had
already been corrected) and arrange-
ments were made to get an updated ver-
sion {my current one, version 2.2; further
updates are being made). This level of
support should be applauded.

However . . .

There were also differences in documen-
tation between the two versions. For ex-
ample, the original booklet listed the run
command in the shell; it was curiously
missing in the second version of the
booklet (it turns out that this command
isn't needed anymore). What bothered
me in the original documentation was the
statement that command-line arguments
were not supported. The second version
of the documentation made no mention
of them (I did some playing around: they
are supported, and work well). This sort
of haziness could be avoided by a clearer
booklet. I have a few other gripes about
it: it's too small physically (the paper size
is too small to fit in a standard binder),
it's a little disorganized, lacks a proper
index, is too brief, and it doesn't docu-
ment all of the utilities. My biggest gripe
concerns the part of the booklet that
documents the editor. All it does is give
a command list; a few examples would
have been appreciated (especially
concerning the find -and -replace com-
mands). I don't want to sound too

negative: the booklet does have all the
needed information; it's just that I wish
it was written with the user (especially
the beginner) in mind.

Since most of your development time
will probably be in an editor, it makes
sense that it be as user-friendly as poss-
ible. For the most part this is the case
with the C Power editors. However,
when you edit a file you created previous-
ly, and then attempt to save it, you get
the DOS error message indicating that
the file already exists. This is more than
a little annoying, since you then either
have to scratch the old version (using the
editor's built-in disk wedge) or take your
chances with the infamous save-with-
replace technique. Maybe I'm being a lit-
tle pickj', but it would have been nice to
have the editor ask me if I wanted to
overwrite the old version (by scratching
and then saving). After all, a good pro-
gram is written with the user in mind.

Another little thing is the matter of
printer support. The big problem is that
the documentation doesn't indicate how
much support there is! Since I don't use
a Commodore printer, I can't really ex-
periment, but I'll make an educated
guess: I don't think that the printer com-
mands will print any of C's special
characters on Commodore printers.
Again, 1 may be completely wrong on this
(how can I tell?) but the documentation
should have made some note of C
Power's degree of printer support.

My biggest complaints concern the
diskette itself. First and foremost, the
compiler is copy-protected. True, the
drive head doesn't bang, and the people
at Pro-Line say that it will work on just
about any drive (1541, MSD, 2031, 4040),
but I still would like to be able to make
a backup. Their solution is to offer you
one for 20 dollars. 1 don't think much of
that solution. It might be fine for game
programs, but something as important as
a compiler should not be copy -protected
this way. I wish they had opted for
dongle-protection instead, as Batteries
Included has done for PaperClip. This
allows you to make as many copies of the
program as you want, but still provides
excellent protection.

My other complaint about the diskette
is that they've used both sides, one for the
compiler and shell package, the other for
the library modules. Though it is still a
somewhat controversial question (as was
the save-with-replace bug, until recently),
I have heard many horror stories from
computer users who double-side their
disks: disk errors, files disappearing, and
so on. Fortunately, the only file that is

copy-protected on the C Power disk is the
compiler itself. Thus you can copy
everything else onto separate disks if you
want (and you should, if only for peace
of mind). Double-sided disks aren't a good
idea: I wish companies would avoid them.

Definite Pluses

As mentioned before, the major part of
the documentation is the book C Primer
Plus. After reading through it a few
times, I've reached the conclusion that
Pro-Line made an excellent choice in in-
cluding it: it is geared towards the begin-
ner (unlike K&R), although some prior
programming experience is assumed. The
'official' C reference (K&R) might scare
you off; this one won't.

C Power supports just about every disk
drive possible. For me, this is a real plus,
since I use my older 2031 with a BusCard
for my work disk, and a 1541 for the
system disk, along with my Brother
printer for listings. C Power can handle
this odd assortment of devices (IEEE,
serial and Centronics parallel) without
problems.

The compiler produces good, fast code.
This is what it all really comes down to,
isn't it?

With the exception of bit-fields, a
seldom-used feature of C, C Power pro-
vides standard K&R C, thus providing
the programmer with the full power of
the language. System-dependent features
Oike length of variable names and size of
integers) are well-documented and
reasonable.

My Wish List

As complete as C Power is, there are a
few things that I would like to see (are
you listening Pro-Line?):

• a standard-sized documentation
booklet;

• a quick-reference card for the editor;

• a key -based protection system;

• the %e format in the library function
printf;

• functions to access the system clock;

• separate disks (instead of
double-siding);

• some description of printer support;

• better explanation of how to use
libraries.

C Power is an extremely useful tool, of-
fering a standard and powerful language
to Commodore 64 programmers. It is
well-packaged, well-documented and
well-priced ($129.95 Cdn.) and does what
it claims. C Power is recommended. D

38 TPUG Magazine

Reviews^

Blazing Paddles

from Baudville

Art program
for the Commodore 64

Review by Mike IMartin

Blazing Paddles is a versatile art pro-
gram from Baud\'iile, It allows the use of
a light pen, trackball, joystick, touch
tablet or paddles as input devices; but on-
ly one of these at a time. To change im-
plements, you must power down and load
the program again — a two and a half
minute process, which the EPYX Fast
Load Cartridge does not seem to speed
up.

The menu features such functions as
brush choice, colour selection, sketch,
dots, lines, ovals, boxes, various text
fonts, cut and paste window, library of
shapes, fill, spray and zoom. The package
supports Gemini lOX, Epson 80 and 100,
and Commodore 1525 printers, with
Cardco and Buscard interfaces.

The strong point of this package is the
availability of 'shapes and fonts' library
disks, which include outline drawings of
animals, buildings, furniture, electronic
symbols, trees and architectural
elements. Three libraries are available, in-
eluding a general disk, a science-medical
oriented disk, and one for kids. Each in-
cludes various font styles that may be
loaded. These libraries may also be used
vidth Animation Station, from Suncom.

The package itself is a translation of an
Apple program. The documentation is
oriented toward the Apple computer. In
the three 'shapes and fonts' libraries
(available at additional cost), the manual
includes a sheet with corrections for the
Commodore version. The sheet states
that not all of the drawings shown in the
manual are included, and the drawings
may vary from the pictures in the
manual. In the Apple version, a file is
loaded containing about twenty drawings
of one category, and you 'page' through
them. In the Commodore version, there
are four or five files for each category,
and no indication of which drawings are
in each file. It is therefore necessary to
access the disk up to five times, in order
to discover which drawings are in which
file; and which are missing. If you do this,
you will want to make notes in the booklet
for future reference.

The program is a bit slow to use with
a joystick, as the cursor speed is not
adjustable. All this disk access involves

moving the cursor to the 'disk' block in

the upper right comer of the menu, press-
ing the joystick fire button, using cursor
controls to highlight a command, press-
ing the RETURN key to load a file,
RETURN to go back to the picture, mov-
ing the cursor back up to the 'shapes' box
at the top right corner of the menu,
RETURN, moving the cursor to the com-
mands at the bottom left corner of the
screen to page through the few drawings
in that file, moving the cursor back to the
right bottom corner of the screen to
select 'menu', and back up to the 'disk'
block in the upper right corner of the
screen to start the process again. This
would be faster with a light pen. To leave
a drawing, you have to remove the cur-
sor from the screen (f7) and hit f5 then
RETURN. A single key, such as the back
arrow. Commodore key or 'control' key
would have made more sense.

The shapes are well done, but figuring
out where they are in relation to the cur-
sor is difficult. After placing them on the
screen, moving the cursor and hitting the
space bar moves the drawing or line of
text to the new position. The space bar
also acts as an 'undo' button, to remove
the drawing or text entirely.

Colour can be selected by using the cur-
sor; and two or three colours may be mix-
ed, if desired. The 'spray' feature allows
an even dot pattern similar to that of an
airbrush to be sprayed on the screen. Go-
ing over the same area gives a more
dense pattern. This is an excellent
feature. In the 'line' and 'oval' modes, a
'rubberband'-style sketch appears on the
screen, showing each move and change
you make. Triangles can be plotted this
way also. The 'zoom' feature shows half
of the full-sized drawing, as well as a
boxed, magnified version. You can draw,
but only one pbcel at a time; and, to erase,
you must change the drawing colour to
the background colour, drawing over
your mistake.

A screen dump is included, although the
results are uneven. The program adds a
texture to each colour for printing, so a
drawing may look terrible when printed.
The printout is half a page, and prints
right side up, so it could easily be used
to print a letterhead at the top of a page.
The screen dump only has one size: the
full width of a page.

All things considered, the program is
strong and useful, but slow to work with.
There are so many different levels of
quality to the package that I wonder if
it was meant to be a 'crayons for kids'
program that turned out to be excellent,
or a 'professional art and illustration' pro-
gram with serious lapses. D

Combat Leader

from SSI

Military strategy game
for Commodore 64

Review by Dave Dempster

Is your wrist tired from chase'em-and-
gobble'em games? Your trigger finger
sore and calloused from shoot 'em-ups? Do
you look for a game requiring intelligent
thought and numerous tactical decisions,
while offering continuous action with vir-
tually infinite game options, as well as an
exciting edge of uncertainty? Does SSI
have a game for you!

Combat Command puts you in charge
of a mixed arms force ready to do battle
against a similar foe ovei' a highly
variable terrain. Your force can consist
of a maximum of 59 units made up of any
combination of:

• 3 tank platoons of 5 tanks each

• 2 carrier platoons of 4 carriers each

• 1 scout platoon of 4 vehicles each

• 2 infantry platoons comprising MG, AT,
mortar and rifle sections

Terrain variables such as trees, hills,
rough terrain and cover vary from 1-8,
for a maximum of about 32768 different
fields. Besides the six canned scenarios,
you are offered the intriguing possibility
of designing your own. Tanks and car-
riers can be 'designed' from armour,
speed and gun capabilities, with 1939 to
present-day systems listed — a total of
seventy -two types. The speed of the
scenario can be preset, so we slow
thinkers don't get blown out of the game
before we know we're in it. This game
does not run by 'turn', like a board game,
but is continuous. In other words, if you
do nothing, the computer will move down
the board and engage, with no time-outs.
The program first inquires about your
selection — 'novice' is a good first choice,
as you pit one platoon of tanks against
a similar computer-directed unit. The
game field comes up showing about a 40
by 24 area (the whole field is about 77 by
40), with your units shown on the terrain.
You can scroll around the field, but
enemy units are not displayed unless vis-
ible to one of your units, and may dis-
appear again, using smoke or terrain
cover, or by destroying your spotter.
Your units communicate to you by
message (seen on the bottom of the
screen); and you send messages by typing

October 1985 39

Reviews^

short commands such as; A (to A Platoon)
G (go to present cursor position). You
direct your units to move, provide
patrols, inform them where to expect the
enemy, when to open or cease fire; and
you can also order them to mount or dis-
mount (for carriers and infantry).
Nothing to it, eh? Except that your units
may panic and run, miss the target or . . .
Unlike computer chess games, (which
don't merely beat me, but humiliate me
too), I found I could beat the computer,
particularly in the novice scenario, while
learning to use my units. However, the
addition of mortar, rifle and anti-tank sec-
tions with smoke, fire, and patrolling
scouts is a real challenge. If you really
think you're good, crank up the speedto
8, and try to keep up.

An interesting option lets' you com-'
mand a platoon consisting of a company-
sized force, while the computer takes
command of all the other units, including
the oppositon. To get an idea of what I
w&s up against, I set up the' attack
scenario, set speed at 8, and took com-
mand of a rifle section. It was very
impressive.

After several friendly games with my
C-64, 1 determined that the time was ripe
to humiliate the beast. I constructed my
'own scenario'. I supplied myself with fast
supertanks, bags of armour and a super-
gun, while I gave the C-64 cardboard
boxes on wheels, armed with popguns. I
set the terrain up as flat — didn't want
any slip-ups — and away I went. . .

I got a bit of a shock. I forgot to tell
you how to win . . .

Depending on the scenario, points are
allocated for damage done versus damage
received . Point values depend to quite a
degree on scenario balance. I happily
swatted 10 of the C-64's boxes, and only
accrued 10 points — so much for short
cuts.

This game offers a fast-moving, fascin-
ating and variable tactical opportunity.
The small and concise manual will have
you up and playing in fifteen minutes or
so. Playing time varies from ten minutes
to about an hour. The graphics are ser-
viceable, but not remarkable. The sound
of exploding shells and whistling mortars
on top of the pop of small arms represents
the total sound effects, apart from a very
fierce intro tune. There is no air support,
off-board heavy artillery or mine option.
The effectiveness of the mortars is some-
what exaggerated, particularly against
armour.

I highly recommend this game. It's not
perfect, but it's the best of the thirty or
so I've seen so far. D

Science

and Engineering

for the Commociore

by Raniear Bartel

from Abacus Software

343 pages

Review by Richard Goodson

One in an excellent series by Abacus Soft-
ware, this book describes the use of the
C-64 for solving problems in
mathematics, science and engineering.
Definitely not for light reading, the book
assumes a strong background in
mathematics and a knowledge of pro-_
gramming in BASIC. For the reader who'
fits this description, thebook is a wealth
of information, containing lots of useful
programs.

The first two chapters deal with the use
of BASIC. Problems created by numbers
being rounded off and the lack of struc-
tured programming commands are dis-
cussed. The book explains the use of flow
charts and structograms; and utilizing
pseudo-code is also mentioned. Structo-
grams are used to give a visual represen-
tation of blocks of structured program-
ming. The author recommends the use of
structured programming, and discusses
how it can be implemented on the C-64.
Following a section on variables, func-
tions and operators is a section that
describes how to trap errors, and how to
input a mathematical function without
interrupting the program.

Chapter 3 deals with input and output
on the C-64, as well as with files. It ex-
plains the operation of a program to
write, read and change records in a
relative file, and the storage of vectors
and matrices in files is lightly touched on.

Sort routines are dealt with in chapter
4. The bubble sort, linear sort, shell sort
and quicksort are explained. A program
to compare sort routines is g^ven.

The remaining 232 pages are packed
with descriptions of various problems,
with programs that can solve them. This
is where the going gets tough. For the
non-scientist, most of the rest of the book
will be practically meaningless. It is not
easy to follow the explanations, which
were obviously written on the assumption
that the reader has a very thorough
understanding of mathematics.

Chapter 5 contains programs dealing

with zero point determination, differen-
tiation, integration, linear regression,
probability, Fourier analysis, differential
equations, vector calculations, and matrix
calculations. In chapter 6, there is a pro-
gram to produce a relative file of the
periodic table, plus programs covering pH
calculations, titration, the gas laws for
real and ideal gases, and quantum
mechanics calculations of chemical
bonding.

Physics problems are found in the next
chapter. The first program is a three
event timer controlled by the keyboard
or external contact connected through
the joystick ports. Other programs deal
with the detection of faults in an
underground cable, geometric optics and
planetary orbits.

Biologists have to be content with a
single program dealing with population
dynamics and the predator-prey model of
'Volterra. ■ , • - ' •

, , In chapter 10 there are programsdeal-
ing with heat transmission, pulley belt
length calculations, and the analysis of
complex electronic networks. The latter
topic is a large one that takes up thirty-
five pages and has four programs cover-
ing complex number conversions, com-
plex impedance calculations, network cur-
rent analysis, and node potential analysis.

The final chapter has some suggestions
and equations that may be useful to so-
meone interested in writing a CAD pro-
gram, or a program to produce printed
circuit board layouts.

This book would be great for the
university science student, or a person
who has a technical background, but the
content is way beyond the grasp of most
mere mortals. D

Online Guide
by Mike Cane

from Signet/New

American Library

Softcover book

384 pages, $9,95

Review by Jim Strasma

This Commodore-specific extension to
Cane's earlier book. The Computer Phonr
Book, helps owners of Commodore com-
puters and modems successfully to com-
municate with the world via computer
and telephone. Unlike some competing
books, it omits lengthy discussion of the
dozens of speciaHzed words related to
using a modem, such as parity, stop bits

40 TPUG Magazine

Revlewsj

and the like, and simply tells how to set
various switches on Commodore 1600 and

1650 modems, so that they work most of
the time. It also reviews equipment and
terminal software packages directly
usable by Commodore owners, giving
very candid opinions of each (despite its
modest claim that these are not reviews
at all).

The heart of Online Guide is a con-
ducted tour through the CompuServe
Information Service, an information ser-
vice housed in severEd large computers
that home computerists may dial into and
use for an hourly fee. CompuServe is
well-known to Commodore owners for
the support it provides for their com-
puters. In the past, the Commodore-
specific areas on CompuServe were
managed by Commodore's Customer
Support department; they are now run by
TPUG.

Online Guide also provides brief intro-
ductions to two competing information
services, Delphi and The Source; and a
long section on Punter Bulletin Board
Systems. These are local information ser-
vices, running on Commodore 8032 or 64
computers, using telephone-answering
software written by Steve Punter of
Mississauga, Ontario. For several years,
the Punter systems have been the
primary telephone message system used
by Commodore owners. ITiey are also one
of the primary ways Commodore owners
exchange public domain programs and
data files over the phone (along with
CompuServe).

Online Guide's way of explaining these
services is with extensive printer dumps
of what one would see at various places
within a particular system, with added
comments and suggestions by the book's
author. This approach will appeal to
people who want something next to the
computer to guide them as they hop from
menu to menu within a particular infor-
mation service. On the other hand, it is
not well-suited to those who need a quick
reference to a particular feature of a
given service.

There is also the unavoidable problem
of continuing change. Even since this
book was written in 1984, some things
have changed at CompuServe (the elec-
tronic mail system and the Commodore
files system, for example). To cope with
this problem, the author offers a monthly
update service for the book, at a cost of
20 dollars per year (twice the cost of the
book itself, but probably justified for
those who really need the information).

One other feature of real but temporary
value in the book is its discussion of ac-
tual public domain programs available for

copying on CompuServe, and on some
particular local Bulletin Board Systems
around the country, when the book was
written. Not all of these are Punter
boards, so prepare to be briefly confused
at times, when you call them.

On balance. Online Guide is detailed,
as accurate as such a book can~be, and
good value. It can easily save you more
than its own cost in long distance and
access charges. Those who use a Com-
modore modem regularly will want a copy
nearby at all times. D

Doodle Visits

the Print Shop

from Software Link

Graphics utility
for Commodore 64

Review by Edward K. Grossman

Doodle Visits the Print Shop from Soft-
ware Link, 28S Mamaroneck Avenue,
White Plains, NY 10605. $25.95 US (disk).

The picturesque title of this program may
take you back to the days of the See Spot
Run series of readers that are a hazy
memory to most of us. But if you own a
copy of the Doodle graphics program for
your Commodore 64, and also have the
very popular The Print Shop program,
you can rejoice. Thanks to Andrew Viola
and Software Link, there is now a way
to integrate those marvellously creative
images you produced with Doodle into
The Print Shop. This means that you can
take a Doodle picture and overlay any of
The Print Shop's fancy lettering fonts on
your drawing. Then you can print this
rather phenomenal union of images to
your printer and save it to disk. Or, if you
prefer, you can load your Doodle picture
into The Print Shop's screen memory
and overlay your drawing with one of the
many kaleidoscopic pictures The Print
Shop is capable of creating.

The Graphic Editor mode in The Print
Shop allows you to flex your imaginative
muscles by creating your own graphic im-
ages using the keybpard, joystick or
KoalaPad . Or you can call up one of the
original The Print Shop graphics, such
as a birthday cake, and modify it.

But suppose you prefer to create your
own pictures with Doodle. Now you can
load your picture into The Print Shop
through the Graphic Editor mode, then
combine it with "The Print Shop graphics
or save it to disk so that you can use it

in a greeting card, for example. The ad-
vantage of taking this route is that in
drawing your picture you can use many
of the excellent Doodle drawing features
that the Graphic Editor in The Print
Shop lacks.

There's nsore good news. Software
Link saw fit to make the street run both
ways. Pictures that you've created with
The Print Shop can be converted -to
Doodle pictures, and then modified with
Doodle.

Finally, there is a 'retrieve colour' op-
tion that allows you to construct a colour
picture with Doodle. That picture is then
loaded into The Print Shop and you add
a fancy title to it. The colour is temporar-
ily lost at this point. Worry not, however.
The 'retrieve colour' option in the Doodle
Visits the Print Shop program allows
you to restore the original colours. You
now save this picture as a Doodle picture
that can be displayed in glorious colour
with the Doodle program.

All of this sounds a bit complicated, and
initially it does take some practice to keep
track of three or four disks that are being
inserted or removed from the disk drive.
Even more critical, though, is the necess-
ity for careful planning. When a Doodle
picture is overlaid with lettering from
The Print Shop, much of the picture
could be wiped out, depending on the size
and quantity of the letters you use. This
is not a disadvantage; it just means that
some practice and forethought is
necessary to produce a pleasing result.
The main point is that Software Link
discovered a gap between two graphics
packages and figured out a way to per-
form a highly successful marriage. Let '
the honeymoon begin! D

Important tnesBage to
all BBS users

The NEW telephone number is:

(416) 429-6044

Operating hours;

24 hours per day

7 days per week

The password is . . .

DUNCAN

October 1985 41

Calendar of TPUG Events.

Meeting Places

Brampton Chapter: Brampton Public Library, Downtown

Branch, 1 block east of Highway 10 on Highway 7 (Queen St.),

at 7:30 pm.

Business Chapter: Meeting place to be announced — consult

the meetings line.

Central Chapter: Leaside High School, Bayview & Eglinton

Aves. on the second Wednesday of the month, at 7:30 pm in

the auditorium. For 'advanced' computerists.

COMAL Chapter: York Public Library, 1745 Eglinton Ave. W.

(just east of Dufferin) on the last Thursday of the month, at 7:30

pm in the Story Hour Room (adjacent to the auditorium). Note:

location may change in October — for latest information call

445-9040.

Commodore 64 Chapter: York Mills CI, 490 York Mills Rd. (east

of Bayview) on the last Monday of the month, at 7:30 pm in the

cafetorium.

Eastside Chapter: Dunbarton High School (go north on Whites

Rd. from the traffic lights at Highway 2 and Whites Rd. to next

traffic lights; turn left to parking lots) on the second Monday

of the month, at 7:30 pm.

Communications Chapter: York Public Library, 1745 Eglinton

Ave. W. (just east of Dufferin) on the first Wednesday of the

month, at 7:00 pm in the Story Hour Room (adjacent to the

auditorium). Note; location may change in October — for latest

information call 445-9040.

OCTOBER

MON

TUES

WED

THURS

VIC 20

Communications

Annual
Meeting

Hardware

Central

Brampton

Eastside

SuperPET

Westside
COMAL

New Users

Commodore 64

Business

Hardware Chapter: York Public Library, 1745 Eglinton Ave.
W. (just east of Dufferin) on the second Tuesday of the month,
at 7:30 pm in the Story Hour Room (adjacent to the auditorium).

New Users Chapter: TPUG Office, 101 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite
G-7, Don Mills, on the dates listed below, at 7 pm.

SuperPET Chapter: York University, Petrie Science Building

(check in room 340). Use north door of Petrie to access building.
On the third Wednesday of the month, at 7:30 pm.

VIC 20 Chapter: York Public Library, 1745 Eglinton Ave. W.
(just east of Dufferin) on the first Tuesday of the month, at 7:30
pm in the auditorium.

Westside Chapter: Ctarkson Secondary School, Bromsgrove
just east of Winston Churchill Blvd. (south of the QEW) on the
third Thursday of the month, at 7:30 pm in the Little Theatre.
For PET/CBM/VIC 20/Commodore 64.

TPUG maJces every effort to ensure that meetings take place when
and where scheduled. However, unforeseen problems may occa-
s^'onally arise that lead to a -particular meeting being changed
or caiicelled. The TPUG meetings line (445-9040) is the best source
of fully up-to-date infoTTnation on meeting tirnes, and should be
consulted.

Are you interested in organizing some other interest group in
the Greater Toronto area? Please let the club office know, by mail,
phone, or TPUG bulletin board.

NOVEMBER

MON

TUES

WED

THURS

Easiside

VIC 20

Communications

Hardware

Central

Brampton

New Users

Business

SuperPET

Westside

Commodore B4

COMAL

42 TPUG Magazine

Ask Someone Who Knows

If you enjoy Jim Strasma's many books, and his
articles in this and other magazines, you'll be glad
he also edits his own highly-acclaimed computer
magazine, now in its sixth year of continuous
publication. Written just for owners of Com-
modore's many computers, each Midnite Software
Gazette contains hundreds of brief, honest
reviews.

Midnite also features timely Commodore'
news, hints and articles, all organized for instant
reference, and never a wasted word. Whether you
are just beginning or a long-time hobbyist, each
issue will help you and your computer to work
together effectively.

A six issue annual subscription is $23. To
subscribe, or request a sample issue, just write:

MIDNITE SOFTWARE GAZETTE

P.O. Box 1747

Champaign, IL 61820

You'll be glad you did!

COMAL

REFERENCE GUIDE

Sixty-four pages outlining all the 064 COMAL
keywords, with sections on the language's superb
String Handling, Procedures and Parameters,
Expressions and Standard Functions. $9.95

COMAL

deference Guide

by Gorge R. Christensen,

with Q (oi!ev/o«d b/ iffi Outiei^leki

Send cheque or money order to:
TPUG Inc., Dept. A., 1912 Avenue Rd., Ste. 1,
Toronto, Canada MSIVt 4A1

^■sss^'

is FREE

Keeping you up-to-date on where
to buy, where to get service or
assistance, conning events, who's
doing what with computers in
town and more.

Over 90,000 free copies of the
paper distributed monthly in
Toronto and area.

Pick yours up at a local computer
store, club or training centre.

Or take out a subscription and
we'll send it right to your home or
business.

Subscriptions $11. Back Issues No. 1-
8 available for $1. each.

Please sign me up as a subscriber. J enclose SIT for 12 Issues.

Name

Address

City Prov Postal Code

O I enclose S) for each of the following bac:l< issues . . .

Mali to; Toronto Computesl

3092 Danforth Ave., Suite D, Toronto, Ontario MIL IBI

Telephone; (416) 698-3152

Cheque or money order payable to "Context Pu5lfshlng"

or Visa account number and expiry date

Products Received

Presented by Astrid Kumas

Thefollormng products have been received
by TPUG Magazine in recent weeks.
Please iwte that these descrvptions are
based on the manufacturers' own
amvouncemeyits. and are not the result of
evaluation by TPUG Magazine.

Look Sharp

Look Sharp from Mastertronic,

distributed by Buliock Industries Ltd., 60
Bullock Drive, Unit 5, Markham ON, L3P
3P2. Price: $12.99 (Cdn.)

Look Sharp consists of two C-64 pro-
grams designed to sharpen children's
observational skills and visual memory.

The first one. Old MacDonald's Farm,
offers the choice of three different games:
Memon), Odd-one-Out and Snap. In the
Memory game, a picture is displayed

showing animals on Old Mac's farm. The
player has to put the same picture
together from memory. The aim of the se-
cond game, Odd-one-Out, is to find out
which picture of three presented on the
screen does not belong to the set. The
challenge of the last game. Snap, is to
build up a picture of Old Mac by quickly
pressing the right key when two pictures
on the screen match. This game can be
played hy one or two players. In the one-
player version, the computer becomes the
opponent of the user. AIS three games of-
fer two levels of diffulty , and are recom-
mended for children 4-7 years old.

The second program on the disk is call-
ed S.O.R.T., which stands for Space
Observer Kecruitment Te.st. It is de-
signed for children 7 years old and up,
and is described as also providing good
entertainment for adults.

The program includes three testing
games, all aimed at improving the

player's visual perception. They provide
an opportunity to practise one of the
several visual skills (for example: match-
ing pictures, spotting the odd-one-out,
reconstructing from memory) required to
succeed in the final S.O.R.T. test.

The Print Shop

Broderbund Software is releasing The
Print Shop Graphics Library, Disk

Two, the second follow-up product to its
program, The Print Shop (reviewed in

the May 1985 issue of TPUG Magazine.)
Disk Two provides additional designs,
symbols and pictures for do-it-yourself
graphic creations, but this time in sLx new
categories: Jobs, Hobbies, People, Places,
Travel and Health. (A printer, disk drive
and at least 48K of memory are required.)
Suggested retail price is $24.95 (US).

For more information, contact Broder-
bund Software, 17 Paul Drive, San
Rafael, CA 94903-2101, (415) 479-1170.

Stardos

Stardos, from Starpoint Software, is
a powerful disk drive and Commodore
64 plug-in enhancement system. Star-
dos increases the speed of the disk
drive aOO to 1000 per cent. The speed
improvements apply not only to
LOADs. inif to all disk comniands and
functions (including SAVE, NEW,
SCRATCH, VALIDATE, MEMORY-
READ and MEMORY-WRITE). The
speed improvements do not require ad-
justment or modification of any mech-
anical part of the disk drive. Stardos
may be used with any number of disk
drives. It is completely compatible with
any software library for the C-64, and
also features many built-in utilities,
such as a file-copy program that will
allow the user to move program or data
files to another disk; a disk copy pro-
gram that will copy a whole disk in
under three minutes; a mini word pro-
cessor; a machine language monitor;
and a disk editor.

The Stardos system is contained in
a standard cartridge that you insert
into the Commodore 64 expansion slot.
Tiie rest of Stardos is placed inside the
disk drive itself. The user has to

Still Sizzling. .

remove the disk drive cover, unplug the
old ROM, and plug in the new one.
There are no wires to cut, or extra
cables to run to the computer.

For more information contact: Star-
point Software, Star Route, Gazelle,
CA 96034. (916) 435-2S71.

Scenery Disks

SubLOGIC Corporation announces the
release of six different Scenery Disks
for the Commodore 64. The disks ex-
pand the potential flying emdroment of
SubLOGIC flight simulation products,
including Flight Simulator II (re-
viewed by Dave Neale in the November
1984 issue of TPUG Magazine).
Scenery Disks cover the entire

western half of the continental United
States. Each disk comes complete with
appropriate sectional charts, plus full
ail-port and nav-aid directories. In-
dividual Scenery Disk packages are
available for $19,95 (US) each, plus
$2.00 for postage. The whole set may
be purchased for $99.95 (US), plus
$5.00 for postage.

For more information contact:
SubLOGIC Corporation, 713
Edgebrook Drive, Champaign IL
61820. Order Line:(800) 637-4983.

Silent Service

Do you remember our review of F-15
Strike Eagle in the last issue of TPUG
Magazine"^ Sid Meier (the author of the
game) has created another simulation
— but this time it's a submarine simula-
tion. MicroProse Software's Silent
Service, a simulation of World War II
submarine combat in the Pacific, was
scheduled for release in mid-
September. Suggested retail price:
$34.95 (US).

For more information contact:
MicroProse Software, 120 Lakefront
Drive, Hunt Valley, Maryland 21030,
(301) 667-1151. " □

44 TPUG Magazine

I am the C-64

I am the C-64 from Creative Software,
960 Hamlin Court, Sunn.yvale, CA 9408;>.
Suggested retail price: $29.95 (US),

Creative Software has produced this
series of two tutorial disks for those who
prefer a hands-on learning method. Users
who have their C-64s sitting at home, but
don't have enough time and self-discipline
to go through the Commodore 64 owner's
manual, will find this product useful.

The I am the C-64 program allows the
user to flip back and forward through the
pages. Starting with Volu7ne .?, the
authors provide the Vohime Index to all
the pages, enabling the user to call up to
the screen any page he or she wishes to
review.

The first disk, called the Introductorij
Series, contains three volumes: Overall
Introduction to the C-64 (Volume 1), In-
troduction to the Keyboard (Volume 2)
and Introduction to the BASIC Pro-
gramming Language (Volume 3). The
approach is simple. First, basic concepts
are explained; then one or two illustrative
examples or programs are listed; and last-
ly, the user is asked to complete some in-
structions and run the programs as pro-
mpted on the screen.

The second disk presents the Advanced

Series of I am the C-64, and also includes
three volumes: Advanced BASIC Pro-
gramming Techniques (Volume 4),
Sprite Graphics (Volume 5) and Music
and Sound Effects (Volume 6). All are
intended for the user with some
knowledge of BASIC.

Everything About The C-64

Everything You Can Do With Your Com-
modore t)Ji by Richard G. Peddicord,
published by Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.,
15335 Morrison St., PO Box 5964, Sher-
man Oaks, CA 91413. Price: $9.95 (US).

Everything YouCan Do With Your Com-
modore 64 , together with the subtitle And
How To Do /<, is a very accurate title for
this book. It fits into the category of
manuals or tutorials: it is very com-
prehensive and informative, as a good
manual should be, yet — unlike most of
the manuals on the market — it is fun to
read.

The author introduces the C-64 assum-
ing no previous practical or theoretical
knowledge about computers on the part
of the reader. The first chapters of the
book descrilie how to hook up the system,
then go on to explain the characteristics,
capabilities and basic operations of the
computer, as well as Commodore
peripherals (cassette, diskette, monitor

and printers). There is also a short in-
troduction to BASIC programming.
Users who are familiar with this material
can skip the first five chapters and go to
the ones that cover numerous applica-
tions (Games, Graphics and Music,
Education, Word Processing, Financial
Applications, etc.); and programming
languages, hardware and other
peripherals (Modems, Interfaces, Speech
Synthesizers, Port Expanders, etc.).
Together with explanations of different
applications, the author includes recom-
mendations on purchasing specific soft-
ware programs and peripherals.

The book is well illustrated and well laid
out: the essential information is
highlighted, and there are many
diagrams, as well as over 150 photos and
illustrations of the actual products, which
altogether makes the learning process
much easier.

Handle B-128 Software

Handic Software has released B-128 ver-
sions of two popular software packages:
Calc Result, a three-dimensional spread-
sheet program, and Word Result.

For more information contact: Handic
Software, 520 Fellowship Road, Suite
B206, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054, (609)
866-1001. D

••/

EXCEPTIONAL

SOFTWARE

INDUSTRIES

PRESENTS

• Powerful, Full Featured
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• Fast File Copier

• Copies Between ANY
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facsimile.

A COMPLETE ARCHIVAL

AND

DISK DRIVE
UTILITY PACKAGE •

•Access HALF-TRACKS

Out to Track 44

• Flexable Search Command
Enables You To Find Any
Characters On Any Disk

• One Free copy of our
Newsletter —
'FACSIMILE Illustraied'

ONLY

.95

FOR C-64 OR C- 128

Exceptional Software Industries

127 Hillsmount Crescent
London, Ontario, Canada N6K IV6

(519) 472-5354

DEALER INQUIRIES It^VITED
Money Order, Clieque, VISA, or MASTERCARD Accepted.

iOnlario Residents please add 7"^ Provincial Sales Tan)

Octol»r 1985 45

Bulletin Board

Keeping Victor Vibrant

Howard M. Mestck, the author of the article 'Keeping Vic-
tor Vibrant' in our August/September issue, has sent us up-
dated information on sources of VIC 20 software.

Apparently. Stereo Discounters Electronic World, a com-
pany mentioned in the article, has sold out the last of their
VIC 20 programs, and there is no guarantee that new stock
will arrive. But another company, Kay-Bee Toy and Hobby
{unfortunately, the name was misspelled in the article as K-
B Toy and Hobby), is still well slocked.

If any VIC 20 users need a word processor that works with
the 1526 printer. Howard tells us that Quick Brown Fox
is stil! available for $19.95 US, plus S3.5Q US postage and
handling, from Micro-W Distributing, Inc., 1342B Route 23,
Butler, f^J 07405. Cartridges without instructions, but with
a keyboard overlay, are available for $9.00 US, plus a ship-
ping and handling fee. Since the documentation runs to
almost fifty pages and a cassette tape, he advises you to
buy it, unless you already have a copy.

Commodore Technical Bulletin

Commodore has introduced a technical bulletin board,
TECHTOPICS, announcing modifications, troubleshooting
and other technical topics concerning Commodore com-
puters and peripherals.

TECHTOPICS is available from the Customer Relations
Department at Commodore, at a cost of $2.50 (Cdn.) per
issue, including postage.

Among the topics that have been covered in the first seven
issues are:

• troubleshooting tips for the 1702 monitor;

• specs and assembly upgrades for the 1541 disk drive;

• C-64 PCB assembly update;

• C-16 and Plus/4 troubleshooting aids;

Unclassified

This space Is for the ads of TPUG memt)ers. Wanted
or for saie items only. Cost is 25 cents per word.
No deaier ads accepted.

Moving must sell: Commodore computer 32 K, dual 4040 disk
drive and manuals. Sound interface. 85 floppy disks loaded
with programs in indexed binder inserts. Hundreds of books,
manuals, subscriptions and associated literature. Best offer

' over $1,000 within one week. Ray (416) 267-8488.

For Saie: 4032 PET with VisiCalc and Toot Kit, 2031 disk drive,
8023P printer. Call (914) 783-7494.

TOTAL SuperPET PACKAGE: 3 board SP-9000, ideal for
OS/99; COM 8050 dual disk drive; 8023P Tractor printer;
books and covers for all units; software includes Wordcraft
80 and several library disks; over $4500 invested. B/0 over
$3000. Don Siver, RD 5, Box 187, Coatesville, PA 19320.
(215) 383-4664.

For Saie: SuperPET, 8050 drive, 4022 printer, 300 baud
acoustic modem, cables, software and manuals. $2075, of-
fers. Phone (519) 472-5621.

THE WORLD OF
COMMODORE III

■1^^ ■■■■■■■■■■UUUIIBZD

The 1984 Canadian
World of Commodore show was
the largest and best attended show
in Commodore International's
history. Larger than any other
Commodore show in the World
and this year's show will be
even larger.

World of Commodore III
is designed specifically to appeal
to the interests and needs of
present and potential Commodore
owners.

Everything about your
present or future Commodore
computer -from hardware to
software, Business to Personal to
Educational - from over 90
International Exhibitors. Price of
admission includes free
seminars, clinics,
contests and free
parking.

46 TPUG Magazine

TPUG Magazme
Distributors

Dealers: If you would like to cai-ry TPUG Magazine in
your store, you may order from any one oftkefoUowing
distributors:

CANADA

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USA

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M-6 Distribution, Houston, TX 713-778-3002

The Homing Pigeon, Elgin, TX 512-276-7962

Northeast News Distributors, Kingston, NY 914-382-2000

Fred Bay News Co., Portland, OR 503-228-0251

Alonso Book = Periodical, Alexandria, VA 703-765-1211

Cornucopia Distribution, Seattle, WA 206-323-6247

Guild News, Atlanta, GA 404-252-4166

Micro-PACE, Champaign, IL 800-362-9653

Expand

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At better book stores everywhere! Or 6 issues delivered to your door

for just $1 S.OO (Overseas S21 U.S. Air Mail S40 U.S.)

Tlie Transactor. 500 Steeles Ave. Milton, Ontario. L9T 3P7.

416 878-6438

Also ctieck out Ttie Transactor Disk and The Complete Commodore

Inner Space Anthology - to us, expansion knows no limits!

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TPUG {COMAL Reference Guide)

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17

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TPUG MEETINGS INFO 416/445-9040

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President

Chris Bennett

c/o416/445.4524

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Gerry Gold

416/225-8760

Vice-President

Gord Campbell

416/492-9518

Past President

Michael Bonnycastle

416/654-2381

Treasurer

Carol Shevlin

c/0416/445-4524

Recording Sec.

John Shepherd

416/2444487

Rosemary Beasley

c/o416/445-4524

David Bradley

c/o41 6/445-4524

Doris Bradley

c/o416/445-4524

Richard Bradley

c/o416/445-4524

Gary Croft

416/727-8795

Mike Donegan

416/639-0329

John Easton

416/251-1511

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416/492-0222

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TPUG Magazine

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Victor Gough

416/677-8840

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c/o416/445-4524

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Judith Willans

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Hardware Chapter

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416/225-8760

VIC 20 Chapter

Anne Gudz

c/o416/445-4524

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John Easton

416/251-1511

Business Chapter

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416/447-4811

New Users Chapter Louise Redgers

416/447-4811

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416/677-8840

PET

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416/639-0329

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THE WORLD OF
COMMODORE III

.he 1984
Canadian World
of Commodore
show was the
largest and best
attended show in
Commodore Inter-
national's history.
Larger than any
other Commodore
show in the World
and this year's
show will be
even larger.

World of
Commodore III
is designed
specifically to
appeal to the
interests and
needs of present
and potential
Commodore
owners.

Everything about
your present or
future Commodore
computer - from
hardware to soft-
ware, Business to
Personal to
Educational
-from
over

90 International
Exhibitors. Price
of admission
includes free
seminars, clinics,
contests and
free park-
ing.

A HUNTER NICI l( )I.S PRKSKNTATION

To exhibit contact:

Hunter Nichols Inc., 721 Progress Ave.. Scarborouj«h. Ont., -Ml H 2W7

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